Heart in Shadow
by VampireQueenAkasha
Summary: An inventor joins Talon. They called her "The Toymaker" and one particular Hacker has her eyes set on her. SombraXOC - M for reasons -
1. The Toymaker

**Heart in Shadow**

**Author's Note**: I wanted to write a fic with Sombra, so I decided to do those fics I typically do where I pair up canon characters with an OC. Usually this is because I can't decide on a character to ship them with. LOL. This one's kinda just an idea that bugged me until I wrote it down. Inspired by the song "Shadows of the Night" by Pat Benatar.

"_A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you." _

― Elbert Hubbard

"_I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best." _

― Marilyn Monroe

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

~O~

**The Toymaker**

"Akande Ogundimu. It's a pleasure to finally speak with you."

Akande studied the small woman before him as she stood there, nervous in his presence. He didn't consider her to be much to the eyes; pale and slender, short black hair, brown eyes beneath a pair of wide rims. She was wearing a lab coat covered in grease from the devices she had been tinkering away at.

Natalie Krige.

"The pleasure is mine," he told her. "Have you settled in well?"

She smiled, nodding, carrying an accent when she spoke. She was from the town of De Aar, a place that had been ravaged by the Omnic Crisis. And yet, she had no ill-will toward them and simply sought to move on with her life from the incident. Akande had grown fascinated with her skills and sought to enlist her in his services. She was capable of creating curious inventions, some of which had been used for her little town.

Turrets with cloaking capabilities had been one of those things and what intriguing things they could be for their present needs. He would certainly allow her the opportunity to create those again.

"I have, thank you."

They were standing in the vast laboratory filled with shipping containers. A few had been opened up, revealing machinery of the finest quality. A few lab workers were busy opening smaller crates and pulling out other devices that shimmered in the light. The smell of the fresh, new metal lingered in the air.

Akande smiled, pleased by the sight.

"Everything is going well!" Natalie assured him. She looked around the room with a sigh of pleasure. "All of this is everything I could have ever dreamed of. You have been most accommodating to me, Akande. All of this equipment is the finest one can ever have. I appreciate it."

Akande looked around, studying everything in the laboratory that he had provided for her and her staff. Of course. He desired only the finest for his laboratory staff. No matter the cost or the case, he wanted everything to be perfect for his cause.

"Good. I want you to have what you need." he told her.

"Thank you, sir."

Akande tilted his head and patted his hand against one of the metal pipes. "When do you think you'll be up and running?"

"A month, perhaps." Natalie replied.

"A month. Very well." Akande nodded. "I would expect results within that month. Toymaker."

Natalie laughed softly at the name, shaking her head. "It's an odd nickname, I know."

"It suits you, perhaps," Akande replied, still smiling a friendly and welcoming smile. "for one who is infamous for her creations." He ran a few fingers absently over his metal gauntlet. "An inventor who was known fondly in the small towns of South Africa. I know you will be known fondly by Talon. I know you won't disappoint me."

Natalie nodded once. She certainly wouldn't.

"You have my word."

The mission that she ventured on shortly afterwards was simple and it allowed the woman to investigate scrap parts from the piles of debris and machinery. Two Talon troopers guarded over her while the three agents assigned to the mission were completing their task in a mansion of a political figure. Natalie didn't know who it was, but she was entirely too focused on finding the perfect parts for her work.

"Ah, my favorite spider. I wonder what sort of web you're spinning now."

A bored sigh. "It'd be a shame if something happened to you on our next mission. A real pity."

Natalie glanced up at the sight of the two agents who had joined them; they were approaching, no doubt finished on their mission. A sniper and a hacker whom she had heard addressed as Sombra and Widowmaker. That was how she remembered them, but she knew very little about the two having recently been placed in Talon. She had known and been warned to keep her head down and do the tasks she was commanded to do. That was fine.

"What are we still doing here?" the blue-skinned woman sighed, frowning impatiently.

"The toymaker needs parts," one of the troopers replied, gesturing with his gun toward Natalie.

The woman kneeling in the rubble didn't look up, but she could feel their eyes on her. "I'm sorry for the wait. I'll be finished here soon." she assured them. "I'm looking for - ah-_hah_!"

She smiled triumphantly and pulled out a small, spherical orb with various wires attached to it. Within the orb, a blue light was still flickering inside. A power supply that contained a chemical necessary for her newest project. She was quite happy with its condition.

"It's power supply is still intact! Good, I can use it."

"You know you can simply have your staff collect them." Widowmaker explained.

"Yeah, I can." Natalie replied, studying the sphere in her hand with a careful eye. "But like all things, I pay attention to every detail of what I collect. A simple imperfection can break down the entire project. I need to know what I'm getting."

Sombra laughed now. "Have fun digging in the trash then_._"

Natalie furrowed her brow, rolled her eyes before she deposited the parts she wanted into a nearby container for transport. She didn't understand the joke, or missed it, at least. But now she could take some of the scrap back to headquarters for use.

O

Jean-Baptiste Augustin was fun sometimes.

Olivia sat at the bar, having a drink with him. He was discussing a mission he had gone on, making elaborate gestures with his hands as he spoke and she just laughed every time. The bar was about to close, but they often liked to stay after hours. It was a way to take a breather after a mission or just remind themselves of the normal days they once had outside of Talon.

"...'oh thank you, Baptiste, you're welcome'!" he finished, waving his hands in the air.

"Well, at least you didn't get punched in the _choca_." Olivia said, dryly.

Baptiste let out a guffaw of laughter and Olivia grinned, laughing along with him. She swatted his shoulder with one hand. "It's not funny! _Mierda_, I was sore for three days! I didn't piss right!"

The man was still cackling, slapping his thighs with two hands. Olivia laughed along with him before she took a drink from her glass and slapped it down onto the counter.

"Hey, did you see the new girl?" she asked.

Baptiste smiled now, studying his glass of whiskey still partially full. "Natalie Krige? The inventor? Oh! Yeah, I met her. She's nice."

"How long do you think she'll last?"

Baptiste pretended to think about it. "Mmm, I'd give her a week."

"A week. Hah, wanna put a bet on that?"

"You got a deal! Hundred credits says she cracks in a week."

The two shook hands on it, took a final drink when it was offered by the bartender before slapping their glasses down. Olivia left the bar and returned to her hideout where she could learn more about the newest arrival of Talon. It was always in Olivia's interest to know everything and everyone. Perhaps this woman had secrets that she could use for a later time. Should she need a new 'friend'.

Olivia's eyes scanned the data before her. She noticed that Natalie had a mother - a disabled one, from the looks of it - living in Johannesburg. She had been a victim of the Omnic Crisis after checking into a hospital with burns all over her face and chest. She had lost her legs when rubble collapsed onto her.

Natalie had never had any proper education in a university or college - she couldn't afford it, so it seemed, but her intellect with machinery and technology had been an interest regardless. She had shown promise in her small town of De Aar and that was probably how Akande had found her.

It was boring and typical, really. Not much for Olivia to really hold over her.

Olivia leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs with a small smile. Well, that was fine. She always found something eventually.

O

"I could see why some of them think she's uppity."

Olivia tilted her head toward the pilot while working at her holographic screens; he was talking to someone in his Comm-Link. Gabriel and Amélie were out in the field, making their way to another target at Volskaya Industries. She would hack the systems built into the facility and be done with it. From the looks of things, it was far from a challenge for her. It never was, really.

"Yeah! There's a project she's working on for him," the pilot continued, "I got a glimpse of it while we were prepping. It's new armor, I think? Eh, maybe. Anyway, she's got the hots for this guy on the medical staff." He laughed loudly and shook his head. "I know! It's Dante! Can you believe it?"

New armor? That was interesting.

Olivia focused her attention on the screens in front of her, considering looking into that while she focused on the task at hand. The mention of a love interest didn't interest her in the slightest, but she was curious about what Natalie was working on. She was an inventor, after all. Who knew what sort of toys she could create? Maybe something she could 'borrow' from time to time.

"Are you kidding me?" she said, dryly to the screens, "I thought this was supposed to be the most 'advanced security system' on the planet."

Amélie's voice hissed out in her comm-link. "_We don't have all day_."

Olivia rolled her eyes at her impatience, leaning back in her chair with a slouch. "I can handle it, don't worry." She went right to work and it took a few seconds before she smiled triumphantly. "You're in. Go."

Olivia continued observing their progress on the security feed while staying silent. She watched as Gabriel made his way to a set of steel doors, swimming through the air in a swirl of black mist before materializing in front of it.

"_The door_." he ordered.

Olivia smiled, pressing a few buttons to open it just a fraction. When he tried to step through, she shut it, earning her an angry growl in her Comm.

"_Sombra_." he snapped.

Olivia giggled, unable to resist toying with him a little bit. Gabriel glared at the security camera through his pale mask before he disappeared through the door she opened for him. Olivia worked on disabling the turrets as well - which were just as simple to do. She couldn't understand how THIS was the most advanced security system in the world. She could have hacked it in her sleep. But there was nothing in the world that offered her a challenge.

"Turrets offline." she told them.

Gabriel had been positioned at the entrance to the hangar, waiting. Amélie was crouched on the rooftops, sniper rifle at the ready. "I am in position," she whispered, "Sombra, time to target."

"_Incoming, right now_."

While she knew they would be on her quickly - Katya Volskaya was the target and Olivia had other plans in mind for her. She made her way from her position in the dropship, cloaked herself and crept around several guards until she arrived at the console she needed. Smirking to herself, she pressed a few keys, triggering the loud alarm throughout the facility.

O

Olivia had her gun pointed in the target's face.

Katya Volskaya stared down the barrel, eyes wide and frightened. At her feet were the two guards who had ushered her into her office for safety from their attack, but Olivia had brought them down without trouble. And all she had to do was do the same to her, but that wasn't part of her plan. No, she had a bigger idea in mind.

Olivia took the gun from her face, smiling. "You have no idea what it took for me to make this meeting happen."

She glanced over her shoulder, toward the sealed doors when she could hear guards quickly approaching. Well, they would get them open eventually, but she had time. Behind her, Katya seemed to doubt the situation, but Olivia just laughed and turned, facing her now.

"_Relájate_, I'm not going to kill you!" she assured her. She glanced down at the dead guards, tiptoed over their bodies and gestured around her. "I mean, I'm the one who set off the alarm."

Gabriel's exhausted voice filled her comm-link. "_Sombra! Do you have the targe _\- "

Olivia plucked the device from her ear, shut it off and smiled to herself. Gabriel was having difficulty fending off the machines below, but he would handle it well as he always did. It still gave her enough time to make her point to Katya.

She looked up at her now. "Okay, listen. I'm here to make a friend. Let me show you something I found."

She produced a holographic image of Katya retrieving a gift of machinery from an Omnic leader. Katya balked somewhat at the sight, but forced resolve in her expression just as fast. She was caught, that much was certain, but she would not buckle.

"Tell me, what would happen if the people of Russia learned that their 'defender against the Omnics' was actually getting her tech from the enemy?" Olivia asked her, producing more holographic images of Katya's dealings with the Omnics. "What would that do to the future of Russia?"

She plucked a portrait of a young girl from Katya's desk and handed it to the other woman; her daughter, holding a toy of a little robot - a replica of the many enormous machines that her mother had made. Olivia had found out all she needed to know about her.

Katya's eyes narrowed and she stared down at it, her voice taking on a cold edge. "What do you want?"

Olivia grinned and shrugged her shoulders, gesturing around her with two hands. "The most powerful woman in Russia?" She turned, facing her with a grin. "I've always wanted a friend like that!"

Another guard called out to Katya from behind the door. "Miss. Volskaya, answer us!"

Olivia held up the holophoto of Katya receiving her tech from the Omnic leader. "So I'm thinking, I don't let these images appear on every holovid in the world and you help out your new friend every now and then." she told her. "What do you say?" The doors were beaten on and Olivia held the image in front of Katya's field of vision, blocking her from looking at the door. "Clock's ticking, _amiga_."

Katya scowled now, seemed to consider something for a moment before she sighed bitter. "As if I had a choice." she said, "Now what, 'friend'?"

Olivia smiled, satisfied. "I'll be in touch." She leaned close, tapped her finger lightly on Katya's nose. "Boop!"

The doors were forced open and Olivia gave Katya a parting wave before she vanished in a flicker of color. She translocated right where she left the device on the catwalk, setting her comm-link back into her ear.

"Mission failed. Target escaped." she told the two.

Gabriel snarled with exhaustion and frustration. "Get back to the ship."

Once they returned to headquarters to finish their reports, Olivia strolled down the corridors with a small whistle. Amélie had been walking down the same corridor she was and the blue-skinned woman narrowed her eyes venomously at the sight of her. Olivia winked at her when she caught the look, putting on a playful air to her voice. She always knew what to expect from her.

"Someone had a bad day?" she joked.

Amélie's hand abruptly slapped the wall in front of her, stopping her from advancing. Olivia paused, glanced at the arm bearing the infamous tattoos and then, she raised an eyebrow up at the other woman.

"Oh! A REALLY bad day."

"I know you were responsible for her escape," Amélie hissed, leaning closer to her. Her cold glare deepened when Olivia laughed softly, rolling her eyes. "I don't know how. I don't know what happened out there. But I know that she got away because of you."

"Hm, you'd like to think so, wouldn't you?" Olivia said, with a small shrug, "But she's gone now. Better luck next time. We'll get her eventually."

Amélie scrutinized her with that constant frigid intensity in her eyes. Olivia always knew that she was smart, but there was no way she would be able to figure it out or even prove it. She knew that most of her comrades didn't particularly think the highest of her anyway. Still, it didn't bother her. She had a goal for herself and that was what mattered.

She plucked Amélie's hand out of her path and smiled, self-satisfied with the look on the other woman's face. Brushing her way passed her, she walked further down the corridor, but paused when she heard the sounds of crying. Frowning, Olivia stopped, tilted her head toward a door marked for the laboratories and stepped through. She could hear the crying coming from inside and made her way around a table.

It was Natalie and she sitting on the floor with a bottle of wine in her hand - cheap wine by the looks of it. She was wearing a nice black, leather coat with blue jeans and a button red shirt. Her face was streaked with tears and Olivia couldn't help but laugh and fold her arms across her chest.

"Hah. Jean owes me credits." she said.

Natalie looked up at her, sniffled once before she wiped her eyes with one hand. "Oh. It's you. I'm sorry, I thought I was alone."

"You're really losing it that soon?" Olivia laughed, shaking her head, "What a shame."

Natalie frowned up at her, rubbing her nose on the back of her hand. She looked perplexed by the assumption for a moment. "What? No. No, I..." She choked back an embarrassed sound. "Dante stood me up."

Olivia stifled a surprised noise and stared at her in disbelief. That's it? _That's _what the tears were for? A man?

"You're kidding me. So it's true? _Ay dios mio_, you really went for Dante? The blood bag guy?"

Natalie grinned sheepishly, nodding at Olivia's laughter. She shrugged her shoulders, glanced down at the bottle in her hand and sighed. "I thought he was nice. We spent a few days talking, sharing ideas together. I thought he was serious about me. But maybe he was just joking with his friends." she sighed and looked up at Olivia. "Did men ever do that to you?"

Olivia scoffed, shrugged her shoulders and took a seat beside her on the floor. "Yeah. Plenty of times." She elbowed her once. "But you know what I did?"

Natalie shook her head.

"I got over it." Olivia snapped now. "Men will lie to you. They're men. They do that. You just get over it and move on."

Natalie sighed and hung her shoulders. "Maybe I should just focus on my work."

Olivia shook her head. "I didn't say that, did I?"

Natalie looked at her curiously and Olivia grinned. "What do you say you spend time with me? We can show that _puto_ that you're just fine without him?"

"I don't know..."

Olivia shook her shoulder with a playful sound. "_Ay_, come on! Live a little!" she insisted, "Do you even know how to have fun?" She leaned closer to her and put emphasis on the word. "Fun? You know what fun is, don't you, Toymaker?"

Natalie couldn't help but grin and lower her eyes. "I do."

"Yeah! Let's go, then."

Another sigh from Natalie. She didn't want to argue, but she seemed somewhat intrigued to take her up on the offer. "Okay. I am finished with this project for Akande. Perhaps some time out would do me some good." She blinked rapidly and stared down at the bottle in her hand. "I drank a little bit, but I don't think it's really done much to me."

"No?" Olivia raised an eyebrow. "Stand up then."

Natalie rose, but gave a little yelp and swayed, nearly falling to the floor again. She balanced herself on the table. Olivia stood up and helped her from falling again; Natalie was at least a head taller than her, slumped over her like a limp piece of celery.

"Oooh," Natalie murmured, dazedly, "I was wrong."

"Alright, let's go," Olivia said, shaking her head with an amused laugh as she helped her walk, "Come on."

O

Natalie nearly swayed into a rack of paper towels.

Olivia shook her head with dismay as she led her down an aisle in the store. She glanced up at the cashier - who seemed more interested in her magazine than the two women. Natalie seemed to sober up a little more, but she was occasionally losing her balance even still. She nearly knocked over a display in the store and pretended to walk away as if nothing had happened.

"...You think that I'm in a stressful state because I'm trying to make a good impression on him?" Natalie was saying, confused.

"Maybe. Everyone cracks under the pressure." Olivia said, with a thin smile. "I'm surprised your sitting there crying all over yourself for a man, though." She made a face now, turning to look at Natalie with a funny smirk. "You can do better than Dante."

"Is that why you're being nice to me? You don't like him, or something?"

"Nope. I'm just bored and looking for something to entertain myself with." Olivia told her, with a half shrug.

That was partially true and maybe she wanted to know more about Natalie for her own benefit. After all, it was her way of knowing everyone around her. It gave her that control she needed.

"But you already know everything you need to about me."

Olivia paused, glancing at her with a raised eyebrow. Despite her drunken state, Natalie smirked and leaned close. "They warned me ahead of time when I started. I was told to watch out for specific ones. You were one of them." she said, poking a finger in Olivia's face. "You've already gotten into my personal file and know everything there is to know." She chuckled, shaking her head at Olivia's momentary, surprised look. "I may look it, but I'm not that dumb."

She wandered off, muttering about how she wanted to "look for something to drink", followed by a stream of words in Afrikaans; leaving Olivia standing there perplexed, but honestly a little impressed. So the other woman wasn't as stupid as she originally believed.

They left the shop and Natalie was singing a song as she took a sip from her drink - a juice box with a straw. Olivia listened to the lyrics of the song, watching with amusement as Natalie danced in the street.

_"When the stars no longer shine_

_When the sun falls from the sky_

_I will be forever yours_

_You will be forever mine_

_There's a special star that shines_

_Every evening in your eyes_

_There's a special star that shines_

_Each time I hear that lullaby_

_There's a special star that shines_

_Every evening in your eyes_

_Special star, special star_..."

"Favorite song?" Olivia asked.

"My mother's, actually," Natalie told her, taking a sip before continuing, "Mango Groove's 'Special Star'. It's a classic where I'm from. We would sing and dance in the living room all the time when I was little." She smiled and a flicker of sadness passed her eyes, but for a short second. "I always thought it made us forget about our troubles for a little while."

Olivia murmured thoughtfully, only paying a little bit attention to her and what she was saying. She didn't have any way of connection to family as she had been an orphan growing up most of her life. She was disconnected from her childhood because she had never had one.

"Why do they call you 'Toymaker'?" Olivia couldn't help her curiosity now.

"I used to make toys for children when I was growing up," Natalie explained, "I sold them in little towns for what little money I could make. I brought happiness to their children before I brought happiness to them. I began with toys and then I made turrets and other forms of defense to keep their towns safe. That's where the name came from and I suppose it just stuck."

"And the Omnics?" Olivia smiled a little, hoping to see a change when she mentioned them. "You don't hold it against the hated Omnics for crippling your mother and pushing your father to abandoning you?"

Natalie's eyes clouded in thought for a moment. She shook her head and made a face. "The Omnics weren't my enemies. They had nothing to do with my father leaving and abandoning us all those years. I harbored them no ill-will for what happened. My mother even took one of them in as a caretaker and friend to her when she lost her legs. I trust him with her."

That was all she said on the matter.

O

Natalie had sobered up a little to go shopping.

She studied a button shirt with little designs of birds and Olivia plucked it from her hand and shook her head, setting it aside on the shelf.

"Nope. We're not doing that." she told her.

Natalie laughed a little. "Why? I think it's cute."

"If you're someone's ninety year old _abuelo_." Olivia said, dryly. "Do you even know anything about how to dress?"

Natalie shrugged her shoulder with a murmur. She studied herself briefly with dismay. "Well, I _had_ to spend most of my time helping my mother. I never really thought about it, actually."

"How about this, then? It'll give you some color." Olivia picked up a shirt with bright, vibrant colors - neon green stripes and stars. She pushed it against Natalie's chest. "_¡Vamos! _Give it a try!"

Natalie took the offering and smiled thoughtfully. "Okay. I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

Olivia watched her enter a dressing room before she wandered around the store for a bit. She noticed a glass case for jewelry and chuckled softly, her eyes landing on one in particular. A golden heron with silver trim and jewels. It was absolutely tasteless.

The man behind the counter smiled at her. "Anything I can interest you in?"

"No." Olivia said, without looking up.

The man murmured thoughtfully, studied her state of dress before he looked up at the sight of Natalie approaching, wearing the shirt that Olivia had offered her. He looked at her, then to Olivia again before rolling his eyes and leaving to the back room.

"Hm, now THAT looks good on you," Olivia said, leaning back to admire Natalie.

"Are you sure?" Natalie stared down at herself ruefully. "I don't know if this is good for me when I'm working."

"You can work AND look good," Olivia told her, with a pat to her shoulder, "Take a look at me!" She gestured to herself, "_Muy preciosa_, eh?"

"True." Natalie agreed, with a small laugh. "Alright, I'll buy it. A little change might make me feel better."

Olivia nodded her approval. Once it was paid for, the two women made their way back to headquarters so that Natalie could resume her work. They ventured inside and Natalie spotted Dante and a few others on the medical staff talking nearby, laughing and sharing drinks together. She furrowed her brow and Olivia followed her gaze. She sighed, shook her head and gestured to him.

"Are you gonna take that from him?" she asked, "He's over there laughing and talking to his _amigos_. Tell him how you really feel, huh?"

Natalie nodded, determined. "You're right. I will."

Olivia folded her arms across her chest, grinning when she noticed Natalie walk up to the group. Oh, she couldn't wait to see how this would unfold. She raised her eyebrows, chuckled when she noticed the woman pluck the drink from Dante's hands and dump it on his head before tossing the container into a nearby trashcan.

The startled gasps from the men around him, followed by a collective of laughter filled the air. Olivia just shook her head, amused.

Well, that was fun.

She walked away and later that evening, continued her research on the other woman. Was it a whim? Curiosity? It didn't really matter. Olivia always had to know everything about a person. And her searching eventually led her to discover something interesting about her. While Natalie gave the impression of a polite and soft-spoken woman, she learned that Natalie did, in fact, have a police record.

Scrolling her eyes down the list of offenses, Olivia laughed a little at what she had found.

_Harboring a fugitive_.

_Assaulting a police officer_.

_Forgery._

_Failure to report a crime._

_Disorderly Conduct._

Well, it seemed as if this woman wasn't as saintly as she painted herself. Olivia suspected as much - most of those here didn't fit that category in the least. Everyone had done something in their past life worth remembering and none of it was kept from her. Still, it was interesting to know that someone like that had such a list of crimes under her belt.

O

As usual Natalie was back at work in her workshop the following day when Olivia walked in. She saw her sitting at a table, wearing a headset with several lenses attached to it and a pair of goggles over her eyes. She had a tool in her hand and occasionally soldered at a wire in a glove.

"You're here early." Natalie said, without looking up. "How'd you get in?"

Olivia waved her fingers. "I have a key."

A small chuckle from Natalie. "Of course you do."

"You're not mad?"

"Not really." Natalie replied, soldering a little wire.

"Huh." Olivia didn't remark on that and instead, walked up and took a seat on Natalie's table, crossing her arms and legs. Her voice took on a sly tone now. "So how's the head?"

Natalie smiled. "Hungover, but I've been there before."

Olivia laughed somewhat before her features lit up. "Oh! You'll never guess what I learned about you."

Natalie glanced up at her briefly from her glasses. "Try me."

"Seems like you got quite a bit of a record under your belt," Olivia said, with a grin. She elbowed her. "_Wey_, I didn't know you had it in you!"

Natalie's brow furrowed slightly and she blinked. If it bothered her, she didn't note on that. Instead, she sighed and shook her head, resuming her work.

"Do you know why I have that record?" she asked. "The one about 'harboring a fugitive'? No. It wouldn't go into detail, I'm sure." She continued soldering the glove while she spoke. "I told you about the Omnic who takes care of my mother. His name is Lethabo and he'd helped me once before. When I met him again, he was running from the police and I helped him by hiding him beneath the house. When they came for him, I refused to give him up. When they threatened to take my mother, I beat one of them with a baseball bat."

Olivia raised her eyebrows and let out a bark of laughter.

"I was apparently 'sacrificing everything' to protect an Omnic," Natalie continued, rolling her eyes. She sighed quietly, retrieving another tool from a metal container. "As if they knew anything about sacrifice." She was silent for a moment, thinking of something before she blinked rapidly and looked up at Olivia. "Now I have work to do."

"Sure. Everybody does." Olivia replied, hopping down from the table. "See you later, then."

Natalie continued to focus on her glove. "This afternoon. I'm sure you'd like to see my new toys." she told her, a smile in her voice.

"I'm sure."

Olivia made a light, thoughtful sound and left the workshop. Well, it would be interesting, nonetheless.


	2. It's Just Professional

~O~

**It's Just Professional**

Natalie had a much different personality when she presented herself before the agents of Talon that afternoon out in the empty field. Her staff members were pushing tables together to prepare the new devices Natalie had created for review. She stood confidently, smiled brightly and even had an air of excitement about her that wasn't there when she first arrived.

"Ah! What a day!" Natalie sighed, "What a lovely day!"

Olivia leaned over to Gabriel. "Someone's in a good mood."

"Like a kid at Christmas."

Natalie gestured to one of the tables. "Alright! I have a few things I'm rather proud of to unveil to all of you!" She plucked a device from it; it was a circular with several small pins. She held it up to the watching agents.

"This is my first project I completed in a few hours." she began. "This little toy possesses enough strength to disable an armored vehicle with just the right flick of a wrist."

Natalie whirled and flung the device toward an armored car parked nearby. It stuck itself to it and a current of electricity surged through the machinery, toppling it to its side. She grinned triumphantly and thrust her hands in the air with a loud and happy "O_raait_!"

A few murmurs from the watchers. Overall, they did seem to like the thought of using that sort of thing against armored vehicles.

Akande nodded his head once, interested in seeing more. "What else?"

"Ah!" Natalie was eager to continue. She moved to retrieve a large glove made up of metal parts and circuits. It was slightly smaller than Akande's and fit nearly against her forearm. "This glove here is one of my better devices! It supplies its user with a temporary protective shield around their body."

A few curious murmurs from those watching - that had clearly earned their interest. Natalie demonstrated by fitting the glove onto her wrist and clenching the fingers into a fist. Immediately, a light blue cloak covered her entire body in a protective barrier, just as she had described. Olivia raised her eyebrows and whistled her approval.

"_De pelos_!" she said.

"Can it withstand the force of a gunshot?" Akande questioned.

Natalie smiled with pride. "It certainly can!"

Without a single moment of hesitation, Akande raised his gauntlet hand and fired shots from the knuckles, sending Natalie stumbling backwards with a loud, ungraceful yelp onto her back. A few laughs from those around them and Natalie laid there in the grass, blinking, a small groan bursting from her. She was disoriented for only a few moments.

"Ow..."

Akande eventually approached, reached down and helped her stand by taking her hand and pulling her to her feet. Natalie gave him a thankful nod before she reached down, removed the glove from her hand and Akande held out his to take it. She placed it into his hand and he studied it for a moment, his gaze thoughtful. He seemed to be interested enough.

"How many of these can you produce?" he asked, without looking at her.

"Well, with the proper materials constantly ready for use, I can have enough for every soldier present in headquarters. Assuming, of course, there is no problems with the transport of the supplies." Natalie explained. She paused only once, albeit hesitantly. "I would simply ask only to see my mother today and I can have them finished for you within the week once I retrieve what I need."

"Your mother." Akande blinked once before he smiled. "Of course."

"Thank you."

Olivia tilted her head curiously now, waiting until everyone dispersed until she approached Natalie, who had been gathering the devices together.

"Cute toys," she said.

Natalie chuckled and she was absolutely beside herself with excitement. "Yes! I love how everything turned out. Do you think Akande approved?"

Olivia shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I think you'd know if he didn't."

"Of course. I have a few more, but they're far from finished. I'd like to work on them some more when I return from Johannesburg."

"I can go with you."

Natalie paused, turned and stared at her skeptically. "You want to go with me to visit my mother?"

"I need something to do," Olivia replied, with a shrug. It was true. She was feeling a little bored today and was looking for something to occupy herself with. "Besides, I've never been there. It might be a little fun seeing the sights..." She waved a hand in the air and her voice took on a drawl. "...plucking the occasional bit of information from the police database."

"Hah. I'm not quite sure what you think might be useful there," Natalie replied, with a small laugh, "It won't be much of a challenge for someone like you."

"Aww, you're sweet to say so."

"Alright. If you really want to." Natalie didn't argue with her. "Whatever you do is not my business. I only want to see my mother. I'm stopping by to give her some money I've earned from my time here; and I want to see how her health is fairing since I've been away for some time."

Olivia furrowed her brow now. "Health?"

"Yeah, she's..." Natalie sighed heavily through her nose, licked her lips and continued, albeit hesitantly. "She's not supposed to last much longer."

"_Ay, pobrecita_." Olivia shrugged her shoulder. "Well...that happens. She sick or something?"

Natalie nodded her head, making her way back toward the facility. "Cancer."

"That'll do it."

She didn't really offer comfort to the other woman as it wasn't how she did things. But still, it didn't seem to bother Natalie really. The woman clearly knew what to expect.

O

Olivia and Natalie made their way down the streets, passing crowds and stands; the sound of Kwaito inside a shop, chatter in various dialects. In a way, she was reminded of home growing up. The familiar smells brought her back to simpler times and despite how pointless it was to think about it, she decided that it was still nice, in its way. She knew this atmosphere well and couldn't quite imagine how Natalie had survived it.

"_Goeiemôre_!" Natalie passed a man, making her way around him through the crowds. "_Ekskuus_."

She made her way toward a building on the outskirts of the city and glanced sidelong to Olivia. "Lethabo might be a little on guard today."

Olivia made a thoughtful noise. Well, she couldn't blame the Omnic, really.

Natalie approached the building and looked up toward the camera watching the door. She looked up at it, gave it a small wave before there was a loud alarm that sounded. The door was unlocked and she stepped through, Olivia following behind her. She took a moment to survey her surroundings; old metal walls, security devices placed everywhere. It was interesting that so much had gone into protecting an old, sick woman and an Omnic.

"Lethabo, I'm here." Natalie said, standing in front of a steel door.

The door clicked several times before it roared open and an Omnic was standing there now. He was old, wearing human clothes that consisted of a t-shirt and shorts and one of his optics was missing. He had long wires coming out of his head from a smashed head-plate. The damages were older, but not as severe as they seemed to be. He functioned just as normally as any Omnic, it seemed. Perhaps there was no way to afford the repairs he needed. Given the nature of the situation with most Omnics, that would make sense.

"Ah! Natalie!" he said, his voice soft and pleasant, "I'm happy you're here." He looked toward Olivia and tilted his head, somewhat confused to see her there. "Who is this? A friend of yours?"

"A coworker," Natalie replied simply, entering the house, "Where's mother?"

Lethabo's voice lit up. "Oh! Your mother's in the living room waiting for me. We went for a walk today for some sun and exercise. She enjoyed her trip to the park. And then, I stopped by, set the security systems before I left and picked up supper."

"Good! Thank you, Lethabo."

The house inside was nicer than what Olivia had expected it to be; it was a cozy little place filled with tacky collections, a few plants and rugs. The walls were made up of ceramic tiles laid down in intricate patterns. There were handmade wood shelves and a television screen on the wall. It wasn't as bad as she imagined it would be considering what Natalie had told her.

In a hover wheelchair was an older woman in a light blue bath robe. She was wearing low quality prosthetic legs, was covered in burns on the left side of her face and one eye was bloodshot. She really did look awful to Olivia.

"Yikes." she murmured, under her breath.

Natalie brightened when she saw her mother and knelt down to give her a hug. It was returned with a happy sigh from the older woman and they spent a few moments like that before Natalie parted and looked at her.

"Ah! How are you, mother?" she asked.

Her mother smiled brightly. "I'm doing just fine, Natty." she told her. "I'm happy you stopped by. I was beginning to worry."

Olivia raised her eyebrows at the nickname and snickered. "'Natty'?"

Natalie gave her a pained smile in response, embarrassed by the nickname. Her mother now noticed Olivia standing there and she smiled at the younger woman. "Oh! Is this a friend of yours?"

"A coworker from the new job," Natalie explained. She looked at Olivia, gesturing with one hand to her mother. "This is my mother, Sasha. Mother, this is Sombra."

"Sombra. That's a very interesting name," Sasha remarked, glancing Olivia up and down. She seemed to think of something before she spoke further; something interested her, but she didn't say anything more on that particular matter. "Mm, but that's not my business."

Olivia chuckled at the odd look she received from Natalie's mother. Maybe the older woman was smarter than _she_ looked, too.

O

"This money I have? It's just the beginning. I'll soon have enough for all of us to leave this place. I can move you and Lethabo to Numbani before this is all said and done. They have humans and Omnics there, living together without any problems and free from the world's xenophobia. You can spend the last of your days in peace."

Natalie was talking with her mother while Olivia half listened to it from her spot in a chair across the living room, a bowl of chips in her lap. She had kicked up her feet on the table and occasionally glanced down at a holographic screen of data she produced from her hand. There was little to really interest her in the security databases, but a few bit of information here and there she kept to herself.

Coming here had been a waste of time.

Sasha laughed softly. "I'd love that, Natty. But..."

"But?"

Sasha's voice took on a concerned note, her brow wrinkled. "You're staying safe, right?"

"Why wouldn't I be safe?"

"Natalie, I'm your mother, I know you're doing whatever you can for me," Sasha told her, with a soft sigh, "I know it's not always been the right choices either."

"Mother..."

"I'm just worried. That's all."

Natalie didn't answer and just quietly sighed in response after a moment. Olivia glanced up from the tops of her eyes to see the impassive frown on Natalie's face. There was no guilt about what she was doing. Olivia knew the kind of look a guilty person had. Natalie was proud of herself for her accomplishments, but she didn't seem to like the idea that her mother disapproved.

She gave a quiet snort, smirked, shook her head and resumed focus on the screen in front of her.

"Anyway, enough of that sort of talk for today. I don't want to upset you on your visit with me. I'd like my music now," Sasha said, gesturing to the radio in the corner. Her features brightened when an idea seemed to hit her and she clasped her hands together. "Oh! Can we dance like we used to, Natty? I would so enjoy that."

Natalie blushed now and glanced back at Olivia, who looked up sharply at the request. Her face lit up with delight and she let out a loud laugh.

"Dance?" Olivia said, grinning; she extinguished the screen she had been focusing on with a simple clench of her hand, "Oh, now THIS I have to see!"

Natalie groaned, embarrassed at the laughter. She looked down at her mother and flicked her gaze toward Olivia. Her tone dropped lower as well. "Mom, in front of my coworker?"

"Oh, she can dance too, if she'd like." Sasha told her, looking over her shoulder at Olivia.

"_Vieja_, I'm sitting right here until I get a load of Nat working her moves!"

Natalie groaned, rolled her eyes with dismay. Then, she exhaled, walked to a radio and pressed a button. It took a few moments before the sound of Elvis Presley's "Jailhouse Rock" began to play. Olivia laughed loudly, slapping her thighs and Natalie made a face, blushing at the laughter. Oh, she was really getting a kick out of this.

"She likes classical music." Natalie told the other woman. "American Elvis Presley is her favorite."

Sasha grinned, delighted and clapped her hand with the music as Natalie began to dance in the middle of the living room - albeit very hesitantly and stiffly. She sang along with the song and reached for Sasha, lifting her from her wheelchair. Olivia couldn't stop laughing as the two danced around the living room. Sasha was having such a great time and Lethabo watched from the kitchen.

"Oh, I WISH I had a camera right now!" Olivia cried, between fits of laughter.

Natalie raised an eyebrow skeptically.

It took a moment for Natalie to get over her initial embarrassment as she continued to carry her mother and dance with her. After a moment of swaying and moving around the room, Natalie eventually stopped, slowing one another down.

Sasha laughed happily when the song ended. "Ah, it's good to dance again." she said.

"I'm glad, mother," Natalie replied, gently sitting her back into the wheelchair. "Now, I'd rather not be embarrassed in front of my coworker again. God only knows she's going to spread this around." She dared a look at Olivia, who nodded eagerly in response. "So I'm going to make supper for you before I leave. How's that sound?"

"I'd love that."

"Good." Natalie looked at Olivia. "You don't have to stay. You can return to headquarters while I take care of my family."

She walked into the kitchen and Lethabo had begun cleaning several plates. She noticed the odd silence from the Omnic and frowned.

"Lethabo?" she said.

He looked at her for a moment in silence; then, he sighed and set the plate down in the nearby strainer. "Alright, I'll tell you. It's not a big deal, Natalie." he told her, when her frown deepened. "I found another sign outside this morning."

Natalie's eyes darkened. "Let me see."

Lethabo gestured to an old, cardboard sign laying on the counter. Natalie picked it up and read the words written in Zulu.

"What does it mean?" Olivia asked.

The two turned and noticed her leaning against the doorway, staring at the words on the cardboard in Natalie's hands. The other woman shook her head, setting it down on the counter.

"Nothing. They mean nothing." Natalie said.

Olivia sucked her teeth and gave her a look. She didn't believe her.

Lethabo shook his head at her. "She isn't lying. That's really what the word means. It's saying that we are less than nothing." He wiped his hands on a rag he retrieved from the counter. "Humans are cruel to what they don't understand."

"I can leave another turret," Natalie offered.

"No. That would send the wrong message." Lethabo told her. "I have more than I need to keep your mother safe, Natalie. You don't have to worry."

Natalie smiled at him and put a hand on his shoulder. "I owe you more than my life, Lethabo."

"No, you don't." Lethabo argued, with a gentle laugh.

"If it wasn't for you, I would have died out there all those years ago. My mother would have died." Natalie's voice was softer now as she nodded. "You deserve to feel safe and happy. With my work, I can do that. I just need a little more time and you can have that life."

Olivia made a face. She definitely had the most idealistic way of looking at things in ways that didn't quite benefit her job. It wasn't really the mindset that she should have with the work they did. But Olivia had seen it all since she had joined up and Natalie wasn't different in that regard. She was driven to serve Talon by any means necessary to help her family. Typical.

Well, she'd learn eventually. They always did.

O

Olivia waited outside, watching those passing by with sharp focus. She could still hear Natalie talking with her mother in the doorway and frowned when they began to speak in their native language. Natalie said something and Sasha glanced toward Olivia, making the younger woman's frown intensify. The look on the older woman's face was of wonder and amusement. Were they talking about her? Usually, it didn't matter what was said about her, but Natalie's eyes flicked quickly in her direction and she seemed troubled.

Sasha made an amused noise, said something more in her language. It drew a wide-eyed look from Natalie before she rapidly shook her head and scowled down at her mother, cheeks darkening with a tinge of red. Sasha shrugged her shoulders with a playful laugh and spoke more. Natalie rolled her eyes with dismay; a joke was clearly made that Natalie didn't entirely appreciate. Normally, Olivia didn't care about anything like that, but they were clearly talking about her and it made her shift somewhat where she stood.

"It's professional, mother," Natalie finally told her in English. "Just professional."

Sasha murmured thoughtfully, but chuckled. "I'm only teasing you, _liefling_."

Natalie laughed weakly in response, and then knelt down in front of her, put her arms around her mother and whispered to her.

"I'll have more money next month when you visit the doctor," she assured her. "I won't let you lose a single cent for your treatment."

"I know. I know."

Olivia cleared her throat. "Come on. Let's wrap it up!" she insisted, beckoning with one hand.

"Alright." Natalie gave her mother a kiss on her cheek. "Be safe."

"You too, Natty." Sasha told her. Her eyes filled with sadness and concern. "Please."

"_Vamos_, Natalie!" Olivia insisted.

The two women walked away and Lethabo looked down at Sasha. He ushered her toward the house and the older woman sighed. He didn't need to say anything to her. She already knew.

"I know, Lethabo..." she said, disappointed, "I know what she's been doing."

"She has the best intentions, I'm sure."

"That's always how it goes..."

O

Natalie returned to headquarters in silence and went right back to work. Olivia returned to her base of operations in Castillo and neither woman said anything to each other. She scanned her database for various new information she had collected before looking around her room, filled with pilfered tools of her trade. A few other things lined the walls; objects of guilty pleasures and food she needed to keep herself at the fort for some time.

It felt strangely quiet today.

She sat there and thought about how odd it was; usually, she could spend entire weeks on her own and never noticed it. But today felt different, somehow. She didn't know what it was.

So, she huffed out a thoughtful sound and decided to pay a visit to Calaveras for a drink and some entertainment. After all, a lot of interesting folk stopped by the bar, whether it was for business or pleasure. If she was lucky, she could spot a few fights and make a few bets. For some reason, she couldn't stop thinking of what Natalie and Sasha had been discussing. It wasn't like it was even that important, but it had begun nagging away at the back of her mind.

But when she had arrived, the bar was quiet.

Olivia looked toward the old man wiping down the counter. He glanced up and smiled, wiping down the counter. "Hey! Good to see you stopping in." he said. "I have some new stuff on tap. I think you might like it."

"Haha, you always come through, Sergio." Olivia replied, taking a seat.

Sergio filled a glass with tequila and pushed it toward her. Olivia took a quick drink from it before slapping it down on the counter.

"I haven't seen you here in a while," Sergio remarked, cleaning his hands in the sink.

"Been busy." Olivia leaned against the counter, watching the empty bar.

"Yeah? That so, huh? Luis and I have to clean up in the back before we close, but you can hang out a bit while we do." Sergio told her. He winked at her. "Anything for my best customer."

"Ah." Olivia waved him off with one hand, but she couldn't resist a laugh. "You're just kissing my ass because I brought you all that money last year."

Sergio grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "You did me a favor, _niña_."

"You STILL owe me for that favor."

"I know, I know," Sergio nodded reassuringly, "I'm working on it. Money doesn't fall into our laps, now does - " He caught Olivia's funny look and rolled his eyes. "_Ay_, I forgot who I'm talking to."

Olivia snorted, amused. She remembered the day that she'd brought money to Sergio to help fund his business. He'd been a good neighbor and friend to the Los Muertos gang; provided them with room and board as needed and been in full support of their cause. Olivia was always one to pay back someone like that - she didn't like the idea of owing anyone anything.

So, one day, a bag of cash and credits just found its way at his back door and the rest had been history.

"Anyway, why didn't you visit today?" Sergio furrowed his brow curiously. "None of the old crew saw you. They were asking around."

"Huh? What'd they want?"

Sergio shrugged his shoulders. Olivia's flippant comment took him by surprise for a second, but he remembered who he was talking to. "They haven't seen you lately. I guess they wanted to catch up."

"I was in Johannesburg." Olivia told him, taking another drink when it was poured for her. "With this new _chica_'s mother."

"Really?" Sergio stared at her as if she'd grown two heads.

"What?" Olivia frowned at his look.

"Nothing. I just never thought you'd be interested in meeting some stranger's _madre_."

"I wasn't interested in the old lady. Trust me." Olivia replied, rolling her eyes. "But this new one? She works too hard, like most of them. A little naive, too, I guess. But she's a lot of fun to hang around with."

Sergio murmured in response. He said nothing more, but seemed to be thinking about that either way.

"Anyway, did you fix that bathroom yet?" Olivia asked, slapping the counter with one hand.

"Yes, _mija _I did." Sergio told her. He raised a finger and then added firmly. "And I don't want to see any paper towels in there this time."

"How many times do I have to tell you? That was Luis."

"I don't care who it was! No more paper towels!"

Olivia made her way to the back of the bar where she could use the bathroom, rolling her eyes at his words. Once inside the small room, she brought up her holographic screens from her hand. A few images of Talon agents were listed and she scrolled through them with a single swipe of her finger before stopping at Natalie's image. She lingered on the image for a moment, considered taking a peek at Natalie. Murmuring with a faint smile, she brought up another screen of security footage from the corridors of headquarters.

Natalie was walking somewhere. Curious, Olivia brought up another screen of the floor-plan, tapping the warehouse location where Natalie had been heading. She was passing a closet filled with body armor and seemed to pause, looking at it briefly.

Olivia tilted her head, amused when she opened the closet and reached inside for a helmet. Natalie on screen placed it over her head and pretended to pose with a gun, making her voice deep.

_"HALT! Who goes there?"_

Olivia snorted. "Wow..." she said, continuing to watch her.

Natalie continued to pose and feign shooting a pistol before she stumbled, dropped the helmet onto the floor and gasped, uttering a curse in her native language before she scrambled to retrieve it.

"_Blerrie_!" she grumbled.

Olivia giggled a little, shaking her head before she frowned down at a smaller window, bringing it up with a few paragraphs of information regarding her new 'friend', Katya. It seemed as if she had been reinforcing security at her factory. She had even brought in more soldiers.

Well, it seemed like she didn't learn. Olivia would have to pay her a visit soon.


	3. Friendly Advice

~O~

**Friendly Advice**

Natalie was alone in her workshop that evening when she suddenly heard the sound of something bang against the door; a hand slapping weakly, but firmly enough that it wanted her attention. Whatever it was, it had to wait. She wasn't going to be interrupted from her work.

"I'm working!" she called over her shoulder. "Come back in a few hours, please."

A harder banging sound now, more insistent. Louder, even.

Natalie sighed and reached down, retrieving a handheld remote and aiming it at the door. It opened and after a few seconds, Olivia stepped in, clutching her midsection. Her lip and forehead were bleeding, her body scuffed up from what looked like a terrible fight. She winced sharply with a hiss of pain.

Natalie's eyes widened and she rose, quickly moving to her side. "What happened?" she exclaimed.

Olivia looked at her with a small snort. "Ah, _shit, _Nat," she muttered, laughing. "I've looked a lot worse than this. Just let me sit down for a second."

Natalie helped her to a chair and Olivia let out another sharp sound through her teeth as she slowly sank into it. She reached into a pouch at her side, removing her ruined translocator and handing it to her. Natalie stared down at the scorched markings on it, turning it in her hands for study. The burns looked like they had come from a plasma weapon of some kind, but it was hard to tell.

"What happened?" she asked again.

"I was seeing a friend."

"She did this to you?"

Olivia shook her head. "No, no, the big _perra _she sent to track me did this. She used some kind of gravity gun and it messed me up when it hit. I could barely get out of there if I hadn't talked my way out of it."

She looked up at Natalie, to the odd headgear she was wearing; a helmet that consisted of various microscopes, magnifying glasses and clasps. It looked like she'd added more to it. It was ridiculous and earned a weak snort from her.

"Nice headgear." she joked.

Natalie laughed weakly. "Ah, sorry. It's a product of my own design that I've been working on. It helps keep my table cleaner."

Then, she stared at her with concern for a moment before she looked down at the translocator in her hand. She took a seat at her work table and placed the gadget underneath a light. Moving one of the magnifying glasses over her eye, she leaned down to assess the damages to the device. Olivia leaned to one side to watch her work.

"Well?" she said.

"The feedback chip is damaged," Natalie explained, tapping her finger thoughtfully on the table, "And there's wires that'll need to be replaced for the core processor. But nothing I can't take care of."

"Good." Olivia nodded, wincing sharply.

Natalie glanced back at her, frowned and scooted over on her chair to sit closer. "Does it hurt to breathe?" she asked.

"A-A little," Olivia admitted.

"Where's the pain?"

Olivia tilted her head at the concern, taken by it for a second before she reached down, gesturing somewhat to her left side. Natalie glanced at her briefly, hesitated for only a moment before she pressed a little on the spot Olivia indicated. It drew a sharp grunt from the other woman and she recoiled with a loud "fuck". It drew a surprised noise from Natalie and she leaned back in her seat.

"You may have a fractured rib," Natalie explained, worried, "You should go to visit the medical hall. You're lucky you didn't puncture a lung on the way here."

"Yeah, lucky. That's a word for it, I guess. Just fix that translocator for me, will you? I need it functioning again soon and - " Olivia huffed out a sound of pain before she laughed weakly. "Huh. Well, looks like my friend wasn't so friendly after all."

"You can tell me about it later," Natalie assured her, "Let's just get you to medical."

She helped Olivia stand, letting her lean on her shoulder. Olivia took a moment to consider how odd it was that Natalie was being so nice with her, but it really didn't matter. The woman was soft, that's all it was. She wouldn't make it if she kept up this sweet act. It was weird, really; she didn't argue with it either. But then again, the pain in her side made it difficult to do that.

They walked down the hallways and stopped when they noticed Moira O'Deorain making her way up to them. It was the first time Natalie had met her since she joined with the organization. She was taller than her, wore the most peculiar armor and a metal face-plate over her left eye. She had never seen such a woman look that way before. She was tall, unapproachable to almost everyone there. But to Natalie, she was simply strange. Still, there was no reason not to introduce herself to another fellow member of Talon.

"Oh! Doctor O'Deorain," Natalie greeted her, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Moira seemed to glance only at Olivia for a split second. Her eyes roved over her condition before a thin smile touched her lips. "Well, look at you. Did you get into a bit of trouble again?"

Olivia laughed in response, putting on an air of playfulness as she often did. "I wanted a friend and _her_ friend didn't want to play nice."

"As it goes with you." Moira remarked, chuckling.

"Hey, no other way it can go."

Natalie frowned somewhat, but said nothing as Moira walked passed them. She entered the medical wing and the resident doctor was there - Martin Bowman. He was a much older American man who had been a former soldier before being recruited to Talon for his medical expertise. His appearance was always neat, salt and pepper hair combed to perfection. He wore a white lab coat and a red tie with black stripes. Natalie rarely spoke with him, but a few times in passing, he had been nice.

Martin had been cleaning his hands when he saw the two women enter. "Ah! How can I help you, ladies?"

"She's hurt." Natalie told him, "I think she may have a cracked rib or two."

Martin looked at Olivia. "Well, let's have a look."

O

Natalie was fascinated.

She noticed a spinal, cybernetic graft attached to Olivia's back while the woman was sitting up in bed, shirtless and bandaged around her midsection. It was glowing softly with neon purple light. She had grown intrigued by such inventions, but never had she had the skill to make them herself. After all, they required knowledge of human genetics to an extent and how they functioned together.

There were also little ribbons of purple along Olivia's forearms and palms - like the inside of a microchip - more cybernetics implanted in her skin which no doubt helped her in her teleportation or invisibility.

"Ah! Nat!" Olivia smiled. "You got something for me?"

It snapped Natalie out of her reverie and she held up the translocator for Olivia to take, having finished it in no time while Olivia had been monitored by the doctor. She grinned, relieved to see it perfectly repaired. Natalie tilted her head and Olivia caught the look. She shrugged her shoulders with a small laugh and didn't understand the stare.

"What?" she asked.

"Your grafts," Natalie said, "I've never seen someone with so many before."

"Oh." Olivia's smile disappeared somewhat and she set the translocator down on a nearby table. "Well, I - "

Martin walked into the room and interrupted the discussion between them. "Alright." he told Olivia. "You do have a fractured rib - good call, Krige - " He glanced briefly at Natalie. " - So I want you to rest for a little while and let it mend. The nanites will do the rest in no time. No crazy jumps from buildings or whatever it is you do until then, are we clear?"

"I'll try my best." Olivia quipped, with a wry smirk.

Martin nodded his approval and left the two alone. Olivia sighed and glanced at Natalie before she shrugged her shoulders once. Natalie raised her eyebrows and she mistook her silence.

"No, don't get me wrong!" she exclaimed, raising one hand. "I don't mean anything by it. I find them to be kind of...neat."

Olivia snorted and stared at her, amused. "Neat?"

"Yes." Natalie replied, with a grin. "I've thought about getting cybernetics done to myself, but nothing ever really clicked for me."

"Why would you want that?"

Natalie murmured thoughtfully. "I don't know. Maybe to fix a few things I didn't care for."

Olivia scoffed, shaking her head. She leaned close and tapped Natalie's forehead, her voice taking on a teasing drawl. "You know? You're absolutely right, _amiga_. We could start with those sad little puppy dog eyes." she said. She tapped Natalie's nose with one finger. "Maybe that goofy little nose of yours."

"Ah, stop, alright." Natalie said, laughing and shaking her head. She brushed Olivia's hand away from her face.

Olivia laughed a little with her and studied her translocator for a moment. She murmured her approval. "You're pretty good with this stuff, huh?"

"Ever since I was a kid." Natalie shrugged. "Well, when I wasn't getting into trouble at school."

Olivia grinned at her. "_You_? Get in trouble at school? I don't believe that."

"I did." Natalie chuckled, "Lethabo had to pick me up many times for fighting."

Olivia leaned back in the bed, laughing at the thought. "Oh, my God, I can picture it now. _Loca _Nat fighting like a cat." She made gestures with her hands, like a cat swiping with its claws.

"I don't fight like that." Natalie told her, snickering. "I used fists."

"Yeah, and I bet it was like this, too." Olivia pretended to punch lamely in the air.

The two shared another laugh and Natalie covered her face with one hand, rubbing her eyes before looking at her. "No, no, but it was Lethabo who taught me how to defend myself." she explained.

"Yeah, your mother and the Omnic make quite the couple, huh?"

"He taught me a lot about what I know today." Natalie argued, gently. "He's more of a man to me than my own father was." She sighed, rolling her eyes, hissing out the word with such spite. "_Draadtrekker_."

Finally, she stood up and looked at Olivia. "I'll leave you alone to get some rest then. I can finish my work."

"Huh? No, no, stay here." Olivia told her. She chuckled. "Entertain me with more stories of your while I eat this shitty pudding cup."

She gestured to a cup of pudding at the table near her bed, pulled the lid open and retrieved a spoon on the table next to it. Natalie frowned, confused by the suggestion and Olivia smiled at her.

"I'm learning a lot, you know." she said.

"Oh! Well, um..." Natalie cleared her throat, adjusted in her seat and shrugged. "When I was fourteen, I got into a fight with these two guys in the street. I was stabbed in my side here..." She gestured to her right hip. "They were harassing this woman and I was trying to help."

"No, really? You got a scar? Let me see!"

Natalie shrugged her shoulder once. She lifted her shirt a little, turning in her seat so that Olivia could see the long, thin white scar on her hip where she had been stabbed. After that, the two continued to talk while they were being observed by a Talon trooper passing by. He stopped, tilted his head and furrowed his brow.

"...and he was mad at me when he stepped on that rubber duck I put on the stairs!" Olivia was finishing, "You should have seen it! He shot two whole rounds into the floor before he realized what it was."

Natalie giggled, leaning back in her chair. "Oh, my God. Do you always prank Gabriel?"

"Mmm..." Olivia pretended to think. "Only when it's funny. And it always is."

Natalie continued to laugh before she seemed to think about something. "I had an ex boyfriend who broke up with me because he found out I liked to 'play with toys'." She made air quotes with her fingers before smiling somewhat as she thought about it. It didn't bother her much now. "Well, he DID find a wind-up toy soldier I'd modified into a grenade."

"He broke up with you because you make toys?" Olivia shook her head with dismay. "Well, his loss because you fun and you make great toys."

Natalie raised an eyebrow, laughing softly. She stared at her curiously. "Thank you."

"Oh!" Olivia shifted and climbed out of bed. "I know just the thing to make this better. I know where Martin keeps his stash."

"Stash?" Natalie tilted her head, leaning to one side as she watched Olivia make her way into a storage closet nearby.

She heard a few things being moved, a muted curse from Olivia before the other woman stepped out, holding a bottle of imported Mezcal. She gave the bottle a little shake before laughing.

"You really thought you could hide that from me?" she murmured, to herself, "_Eres un pinche idiota_, Martin."

Natalie held up one hand. "You really think it's wise to drink that with your recovering and all?"

"Nah." Olivia made an effort to open the bottle. "It's fine. I've had worse. But you might want to go easy on it, _Malacopa_."

Natalie frowned with confusion and Olivia grinned at her.

"It means you can't handle your alcohol."

Natalie rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Looks like I may have to take up Spanish if I'm going to keep up with you." she said.

"And maybe I'll need to learn Afrikaans if I'm going to keep up with _you_."

Natalie grinned and shared a laugh with her. "Maybe."

O

Martin was writing notes down in his office when Natalie eventually passed by his office door. He leaned back in his chair and called out to her, stopping her where she stood. She walked back and leaned in the doorway, staring at him questionably.

"Did you need something?" she asked.

"I just thought I'd talk to you for a second," he said, "Do you have time?"

"Of course." Natalie walked further into his office and gave him a look. "Is something wrong?"

Martin shook his head, speaking carefully. "No. Not really. I just thought I should warn you about Sombra." he told her. "She... Well, you can't trust her or let your guard down around her. Not really. She gives some of us the idea that she has her own agenda. Many of us question her loyalty with Talon. I don't think you want to get too involved in that if you value your place here."

Natalie's smile thinned a little. The accusation annoyed her somewhat and her eyes darkened. "I think you misunderstand me, doctor. I'm not an idiot. I was simply making conversation."

"I know. But still. Be careful around that one."

"I'll consider your friendly advice." And with that, Natalie turned and walked away.

O

Olivia strolled down the hangar, whistling to herself as she made her way to the drop-ship for her next mission. A Talon trooper stepped in front of her, stopping her path and she tilted her head, glancing up at him.

"Looks to me like you're a little lost there," she said.

He leaned closer to her. "Looks to me like you're making the moves on Dante's girl."

Olivia rolled her eyes dramatically with a little laugh, her tone mildly derisive now. "Aww, I think you got your facts a little mixed up there, _metiche_." she said, "We were talking."

"Yeah?" the trooper chuckled, shaking his head. "Definitely looked like more than that."

Baptiste caught the exchange from a nearby locker. He lifted his head, furrowed his brow curiously by it, but said nothing. He simply watched Olivia's expressions the entire time.

Olivia's smirk never changed. She simply gave him a small snort and patted his shoulder. "Maybe you should focus more on that little pea shooter you always have in your hand and less on everything else." She sauntered away, but not before calling back to him in a light tone. "Oh! And your gun, too."

She laughed and walked up to the drop-ship, but was stopped by Gabriel's larger form stepping in her way. A frown lit her face and he shook his head, pointing back to the facility.

"No, we have Martin's report. You're staying here." he told her.

"What? Come on, Gabe!" Olivia insisted, "I'm fine."

Gabriel's throaty tone took on a faint, intimidating edge and he pointed a finger at her, emphasizing his words with each sharp thrust. "Stay. Here."

Olivia groaned with dismay, throwing her hands in the air before she skulked back toward the facility, muttering to herself. She wandered down the hallways to find something to occupy her time. There wasn't much else to do here and everyone was busy working.

She passed the workshop and paused, murmuring thoughtfully before she raised her hand, ribbons of light entering the keypad and opening the door for her.

Natalie had her head buried in an enormous machine and she was listening to music in a pair of headphones. She hummed to herself, danced in place by swaying her hips back and forth. Olivia raised an eyebrow, watching her continue to sing as she worked. Natalie didn't seem to notice her there.

She grinned, cupped her mouth.

"Yeah!" Olivia suddenly hooted. "Shake it for me!"

Natalie gave a startled yelp, dropping a cutting tool on the floor and quickly stopping her dance. She yanked her headphones from her ears, blushed from ear to ear before she growled out.

"Can you PLEASE learn to knock?" she snapped.

"Can you learn to dance better?" Olivia teased, with a snicker.

Natalie sighed, shaking her head before she returned her focus to the machine. She slouched her shoulders, placed her headphones onto a nearby table. "Sorry. I'm frustrated. This is not working as I had planned."

"What are you working on?"

"A part for a Talon heavy assault trooper," Natalie explained. "I've been working on making them faster with a means of propulsion. But the power source drains far too quickly and overheats the armor casing. It would leave them vulnerable."

Olivia frowned and peered into the machine. Sure enough, the metal casing was scorched around the edges, slightly melted from use. She shook her head, sucked her teeth before looking at Natalie.

"That sucks." she said.

"It does." Natalie sighed ruefully. "I could always scrap this idea and work on a few others."

"Or..." Olivia shrugged her shoulders. "Take a break."

Natalie sighed again. "I could do that, maybe. It would do me some good." Then, she looked at her with a thoughtful note. "Why are you here, anyway?"

"I've been benched for the day." Olivia told her, with a dramatic wave of her hand. "Gabe kicked me out of the hangar and told me to stay put."

"I'm sorry to hear about that. But he's right, you know. You still need more time to heal. The nanite injections should help you recover from your wounds faster, but still. It's good to be careful."

"Yeah." Olivia looked at the clock on the wall before she murmured thoughtfully. "I have an idea."

O

A few gentle strokes of the little brush against Natalie's eyelid.

"Almost done..." Olivia said, smiling with pride.

She cupped Natalie's chin with one hand and applied makeup to her face with the other. The other woman sat perfectly still in front of her as she worked, staying quiet for the most part until Olivia was finished. Still, she began to shift a little where she sat and mumble. It was clear she had never engaged in such a ritual before and didn't know quite what to do.

"I don't know that this will work," Natalie murmured.

"Ah, no talking until I'm done," Olivia chided. She grinned, proud of her work. "You're gonna look real nice, trust me."

Natalie made a half-amused sound. "I doubt it."

Olivia leaned back, studied her with a murmur before she reached into her lap for a small hand mirror. She held it up to Natalie, who stared at her reflection with mild surprise. The dark eye shadow, the liner; even these little changes to her face made her look like an entirely different person. She hadn't expected to look that way. Olivia grinned and tilted her head.

"What can I say?" she said, "I can work magic."

"I've never worn makeup before," Natalie murmured, with a small smile, "It really does look nice."

Olivia nodded her approval. "Alright! So what say you and I go out and have some fun?" She leaned close, whispering softly, "You know what? I think I saw Dante out in the hall. Let's show that _pendejo_ the good work, huh? Make him sorry."

Natalie grinned. She couldn't help it. "Okay."

The two women walked down the hallways and Natalie couldn't help but raise her chin, put on an air of superiority. She looked up as Dante did, in fact, walk by them. He looked at her, blinking in shock as he watched them go. Natalie looked at Olivia and giggled. Olivia grinned and laughed right back.

"See what I mean?" she said. "You are better off."

"I do feel like I am." Natalie replied, unable to resist her proud smile. "Thank you, Sombra."

"Don't sweat it. Now..." Olivia looked over her shoulder briefly, "They told me I can't leave on the mission. Never said anything about going somewhere else. Wanna hop along? We can have some fun."

Natalie thought about it. "I don't know..." she said, hesitantly. Then, she considered it again and murmured thoughtfully. "Well...I have always wanted to see Venice, though. Maybe I can spare some time away from my work for a break. God knows I need it."

"Yeah?"

Natalie thought about what Martin had said, but she didn't address it. "I have a bit on my mind, maybe."

O

Natalie stared at the glass filled with little miniatures.

Olivia had ventured into another shop before she noticed that Natalie hadn't been following. She spotted the other woman in the shop across from hers, tilted her head and walked up to see what had caught her interest. She made a face at the little miniature glass animals.

"You like this stuff?" Olivia said, dryly.

Natalie gave her a funny smile. "What? They're cute!" She leaned down to look at one in particular - a glass duck with little turquoise eyes. "That one there. It looks like the one I used to have at my old house in De Aar. I had one as a gift from my grandmother, but I lost it when the house was destroyed."

She sighed and started to go, but Olivia stopped her with a hand against her shoulder. "Hang on. You want that ugly thing?"

"Yes, I would like to have it, but it's expensive."

"Nah. Watch this." Olivia said, starting to walk to the register.

"Wait, you don't - "

Olivia winked at her and Natalie watched her exchange a few words, tap her fingertips against the glass. Static ribbons of violet entered the glass barrier. The cashier retrieved the glass miniature and furrowed his brow when he noticed the price change in the register. He seemed confused and Olivia just carried on her chatter with him, syrupy sweet. He shook his head, sighed and handed it to her.

When they walked out, Olivia placed the glass miniature in the palm of Natalie's hand. "There you go." she told her.

Natalie looked down at it, stunned. "What did you do?"

"What I do best." Olivia said, "I hacked the price listing. He had to give it to me for free."

Natalie sputtered a laugh. "Really?"

"Really." Olivia grinned at her.

"So, you can hack anything?" Natalie was curious.

Olivia nodded her head. "That's my whole thing, Nat."

Natalie thought about that before she pointed at a garbage bot nearby; it was collecting trash and depositing it into a grinder. "Can you hack that?" she asked. "Make it do something else?"

Olivia chuckled and raised an eyebrow. "What'd you have in mind?"

Natalie cupped her mouth, whispered in her ear and Olivia laughed mirthfully. "Alright!"

O

The garbage bot wandered toward a table where two fine-dressed men were sitting. "Would you like some - " Static noises burst from it as it twitched rapidly. " - hot garbage?"

One of the men looked confused. "No, wait, we don't - "

The garbage bot dumped a handful of garbage directly onto them. "Garbage, garbage, garbage..." it chanted, "_Kzzzzt _\- you are garbage."

Natalie and Olivia watched the scene unfold from across the street, caught in fits of laughter. They hurried away before the men would see them and Natalie took a moment before she spoke.

"That was funny!" she said, "I had no idea you can do so much."

Olivia couldn't help the little bit of pride she felt hearing Natalie say that. "If you thought that was good, watch this." she told her. She yelled out to the locals passing by to get their attention. "Hey! MONEY!"

Placing her fingers against a money machine, she hacked her way into it just like before and it went haywire; money poured from the machine out into the street, where several locals rushed over to take what they could grab. Police officers attempted to stop them, yelling in streams of Italian and English. Natalie glanced at Olivia with a chuckle, raising her eyebrows.

"How altruistic of you."

Olivia shrugged with a thoughtful, amused note. "I like to give back to the community sometimes. It's not like those stuck up _cabrón's _don't have enough of it."

Natalie nodded in agreement. "You're right."

They continued to listen to the chaotic chatter behind them before Natalie smiled at her. "Hey, why don't I get us something to eat? As fun as this is, I'd like to buy something I've always wanted to buy here."

"Like what?"

O

"Gelato? Seriously?"

Olivia watched Natalie eat from her frozen treat. They were sitting on a bench near the water's edge, watching several boats pass by; Olivia had chosen to get a simple gyro to eat and the other woman shrugged, murmuring between mouthfuls.

"What?" she said, "It's good!"

"You're easily impressed, aren't you?"

"It's true." Natalie agreed, with a small chuckle. "I suppose you think that's stupid, huh?"

Olivia shook her head with a small frown. "No."

Natalie considered something, seemed to change her mind about it before she glanced at Olivia curiously. "So how long have you been doing..." She wiggled her fingers briefly. "...this?"

"Oh! Since I was old enough to crawl," Olivia joked, before taking a bite of her food, "It's just something I learned I was really good at. And I am REALLY good."

"I noticed." Natalie murmured something in her native tongue before she looked down at her watch, sighing. "Damn. I should get back to my workshop. I don't want to have my next project be for nothing when I present it to Akande."

"Huh, any hints you wanna give me?" Olivia played, with a smile.

Natalie gave her a smirk in response. "No. You'll have to wait."

A small, playful snort. "You're no fun."

They returned to headquarters and for the remainder of the day, Olivia had a video guide of Afrikaans playing from her hand while she reclined in a chair.

"_When you want to thank someone , you will say 'jy is welkom'_'." the female recording stated. "Let's pronounce it together."

Olivia pronounced the word with a low, dramatic drawl. She rolled her eyes, amused by her own pronunciation and reached into the bowl near her for a handful of sun-dried potato chips. Then, she could hear the sound of Dante's anxious voice outside in the hallway and tilted her head curiously, standing and approaching the door when she made out his pleas.

"Natalie, please," he said, "Listen, I know I messed up."

Olivia poked her head out before she cloaked herself to get closer and better hear the conversation. Natalie seemed uninterested in listening to Dante, who stepped up and put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. She scowled down at the hand that contacted her, then to him.

"Dante, stop," she argued, with a sigh, "You've made your point clear enough."

"Listen, just hear me out for a second," Dante pleaded. He ran a hand through his hair, hung his shoulders and watched Natalie's cold expression for a moment. "I was stupid. I didn't show up because I listened to the guys talk. I shouldn't have done that. They were idiots."

"No, you just thought I was."

Olivia tried not to snicker and alert them to her presence.

"No! No, you're not!" Dante insisted. "Look, just...can I get another chance?"

"Another one? I don't know, Dante..."

Natalie looked tired, annoyed and just eager to leave. But she stayed either way and for some reason, that nagged away at Olivia a bit. If she didn't want anything to do with him, she should have just turned around and walked away. So why was she hearing him out?

"I messed up, Nat," he told her, pleading now, "Let me make it up to you."

Natalie sighed again. She shut her eyes, shook her head. "I'll think about it."

And with that, she walked away.

Olivia made her way back into the room, dumbfounded and somewhat bothered by the words. She frowned to herself, looked over her shoulder and shook her head. The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she grew.

"She'll 'think about it'?" she said, unable to fathom it. She scoffed once, rolling her eyes as she repeated her words with a little more disgust. It bothered her every time to hear it. "She'll 'THINK ABOUT IT'."

Baptiste was there now, arms folded across his chest. He had walked in and studied Olivia with a knowing look. "That bothers you, huh?"

Olivia rolled her eyes. She pretended to be bored. "What? No. Nothing bothers me."

Baptiste smiled now and Olivia's frown deepened. "What?" she snapped.

"You like her," he said.

"I like her because she's fun." Olivia told him, with an irritated edge in her voice, "It doesn't mean anything else."

Baptiste stared at her for a moment before he took a seat in the chair she had been in. "You want to know how I can see it?" he asked.

"No."

"Well, I'll tell you anyway." Baptiste continued, "It's how you look at her. You're always looking at people like they're potential numbers on your docket. But her? No, you look at her differently. Like you're not going to shoot her in the face."

Olivia rolled her eyes, scoffing.

"It's true." Baptiste smiled at her. He gestured once beyond the woman. "She's not just a number to you. Is she? Otherwise, you'd not be spending your time trying to learn her language. Or visit her sick mother in Johannesburg. Or go out with her to see the sights in Venice."

Olivia didn't answer. That was a first.

"Listen," Baptiste continued, evenly, "It's okay that you like her. But you should tell her how you feel."

"Yeah, feelings ain't really my strong suit." Olivia quipped, making a face.

"Then show her. If I had the chance again to tell the woman I had feelings for, I'd take it. You should too before you never get that chance."

Olivia seemed to think about that for a moment. She furrowed her brow and Baptiste patted her shoulder with one hand before walking out of the room.

She licked her lips, completely thrown for a fraction of a second. She looked down at the Afrikaans lesson playing another sentence.

"_jy is die beste_."

Olivia rolled her eyes with a groan, shut it off and walked out of the room.


	4. Chansa

~O~

**Chansa**

"Alright, testing propulsion system number five..."

Natalie's focus was on the Talon Heavy Assault Trooper that morning. The towering man loomed over her, watching as she connected the spherical piece to one of his arm turrets. She tilted her head, murmured thoughtfully before gesturing with one finger for him to turn around. He stomped his heels heavily, grumbling in Italian. Natalie frowned and clapped her hands once.

"Hey, come on now." she chided, "Don't pout about it. We agreed, remember?"

He sighed heavily, his breath labored behind his mask, but gave a nod of confirmation either way. Natalie smiled her approval and turned when she noticed Olivia walking up to her. The other woman gave her a smile as well and she flicked her head toward the trooper.

"Testing out your newest toys?" Olivia asked.

"Yeah. I needed some time to think after dealing with Dante yesterday," Natalie told her. She gave a small snort and shook her head. "Can you believe he asked me to give him another chance?"

Olivia furrowed her brow. She played dumb. "And?"

"I told him I'd think about it," Natalie replied, turning her attention to a computer she had placed near the testing floor. "Heh. I'm not really going to think about it. Let him know what it's like to have his hopes up as I did."

Olivia felt herself smiling. She couldn't help it. That was good to hear. "Yeah?"

Natalie made a thoughtful sound, waved a dismissing hand in the air before she turned her full attention to Olivia. "Well, enough about that. I am glad you're here, actually. I have something for you."

"Aww, _que eres tierno_. And it's not even my birthday." Olivia was partially glad to distract herself from the weird feeling that crept up on her. But she was also glad to get something. She was a sucker for presents.

Natalie reached into a box and dug her way through it. "I was happy with that miniature you got for me, so I thought I'd get you a little something as well. My mother always tells me that a gift you make yourself is the best gift."

"Let me see!"

Natalie held up a small box that housed what looked like an expensive wrist watch made up of fine metal - much like the same material as Akande's glove. Olivia looked confused by the offering, removed it and held it up into the light to study it better.

"A...watch?" she said, "You do know I can look at the time at any - "

"This isn't an ordinary watch." Natalie interrupted, shaking her head. "It takes a few seconds to charge up, but it functions as a protective shield around its wearer." She arched an eyebrow and smiled knowingly. "Should you run into your friends 'attack dog'."

Olivia nodded her approval. Well, that definitely sounded like it would be useful in a close situation like that. "It's a nice thought, Natalie. But after what I did to her and her Omnic pal, she won't come find me ever again. You don't have to worry about that." She waved a dismissing hand in the air. "I mean, _todo se fue a la mierda_. For her, anyway."

"Well, if you don't want it, give it back." Natalie teased, reaching out with one hand to take the offering back.

Olivia quickly pulled it out of her reach. "Nah-ah, I didn't say that, did I?"

A chuckle from Natalie. "I'm glad to hear it."

A loud, thunderous crash behind them interrupted the conversation. The two women looked over and noticed that the Heavy Assault Trooper had flown directly into a building and lay in a heap. He groaned thickly in pain and Natalie quickly hurried over to his side to help him. She yelled over to a few more troopers while Olivia watched.

"Oh! Oh, you poor thing!" Natalie cried, "Hold on. Hey! Could someone help me, please? Help him up! He's three times my size, I can't do it myself!" She muttered to herself when they took their time to make their way over. "Alright, Natalie, first step. Get the big guy up off the ground..."

Olivia laughed, shook her head and walked away. She paused, contemplated asking Natalie about what was on her mind, but chose not to right now. She was a little pleased that Natalie wouldn't be pursuing Dante any more, it seemed. She had confidence in that fact given the way Natalie had spoken. The woman harbored a bit of a petty side to her. That was charming, in a sense.

She passed Baptiste, who had been in the middle of cleaning his rifle. He looked up at her with a smile. "So, did you tell her?" he asked.

Olivia passed him without a word and he chuckled, shaking his head. "You didn't tell her, did you?"

She rolled her eyes in response.

"You should. You know she won't pick up on hints," Baptiste pointed out, setting the rag aside, "She's a nice girl, but she's not very good at that. You gotta try something that she won't expect. Maybe a grand gesture, or something she'd never think to get."

"Ugh, can you stop trying to be helpful?" Olivia grunted, waving a dismissing hand in his face. "It's really weird."

"I only want to help you find your happiness." Baptiste teased.

Olivia sucked her teeth, giving him a look. She didn't believe that for a second. "Whatever, _mentiroso_. YOU just want get involved."

"I do!" Baptiste grinned now. "What are friends for, after all?"

Olivia gave him a bored look in response.

O

[Venice]

"Target Neutralized."

"Sombra?"

The woman stood in the security room, over two dead guards slumped over their consoles. She was wearing the clown costume, benefiting of the masquerade party they had attended. It was a ruse, to cover up Talon meetings between old "friends". Vialli had been quick to turn his back on Akande after his arrest, but those still loyal had shown up to take care of that. It didn't matter, really. They were cleaning house and making sure that everyone would regret their loyalty to him.

"_Apagando Las Luces_."

Natalie was dressed in similar masquerade attire, though the choice she had was that of the Mouse King from the Nutcracker; complete with flowing cloak, cravat, colorful button jacket and boots. She had informed Olivia that it had been her favorite play and she'd even portrayed the Mouse King in a school performance. The other woman seemed eager to talk about things from the past, perhaps to ease her nerves while on her mission.

She had been quiet though as she watched the men lying dead there, so Olivia spoke.

"What? Have you ever killed anyone before?" Olivia asked.

"Mm, once." Natalie replied. She turned her mouse mask toward Olivia. "She asked me to."

"Why?"

"She was dying. In so much pain. It was merciful, I suppose."

Olivia sighed, studying the bodies slumped over the consoles. "Huh. Well, these idiots won't be asking us to and it won't be merciful either. Vialli's men picked the wrong boss to stick with. So we're gonna have to do more than just these guys. Let them remember we're not to be messed with."

"_Y que jamás sean olvidados_," Natalie replied. Olivia looked sharply at her and she chuckled, a little embarrassed by the poor pronunciation. "Oh, come on. Don't laugh. I practiced that one."

Olivia chuckled. "Well, you need to practice your pronunciation."

A laugh from Natalie. "Probably."

"Eh, but not bad, though."

There was a sound of banging from behind the doors and Olivia smiled broadly beneath her mask. "Well, what do you say we play a little with our new 'friends'?" she suggested. "Plenty for us both."

Natalie laughed and reached into her cloak, pulling out a small, wind-up duck. Olivia looked down at the object in her hand, tilted her head. Natalie looked at her and her voice was light with amusement.

"Watch." she said, her tone mischievous.

She placed the little toy duck onto the floor and it quacked, waddling its way through a crack in the door. Three men in body armor looked down at it, confused. Several of them muttered in snippets of Italian.

The toy duck stopped at their feet, let out an eerie, synthetic giggle before exploding with the strength of a grenade blast, sending their bodies sailing through the air with a series of yells from them. Natalie and Olivia recoiled from the force of the blast, nearly knocked from their feet. Olivia laughed with delight and looked back at Natalie, who dusted her hands off on her sleeves.

"Well! Look at you, Nat!" she praised. "Got any more 'cute' little toys?"

"I do." Natalie sounded proud. "Here's another one for them to...'play with'."

She reached once more into her cloak, pulling out a mini drone with wings resembling a large fly. She pressed a single button in the side, raised her hand with it and let the little drone take to the air. It flew effortlessly down the hallways of the building and the two women watched it touch several more of Vialli's men.

"What? What is that? SOMETHING STUNG ME!"

"AH! I can't see it! Where is it?"

Natalie and Olivia were lost in fits of laughter, watching the men scramble frantically down another hall to get away from the unseen force that attacked them.

"That was just too funny," Olivia said, giggling a few more times. "They ran, but they won't get far. Not with Gabe lurking around the corner."

"I know! Isn't it great?" Natalie asked, her voice trilling with delight in a way that she never had before.

Olivia looked at her and Natalie seemed to catch herself, embarrassed by her own excitement. She cleared her throat and spoke evenly, stifling the humor and pleasure in her voice.

"Well, we should finish our work then," she told her.

It suddenly occurred to Olivia that Natalie was incapable of letting go completely and enjoying herself. Even when they were out, even when they were here, indulging in one of her favorite things - using her 'toys' - she stopped herself from having fun. But when she enjoyed herself, Olivia couldn't help but enjoy her delight, especially when she was easily entranced by her skills.

She was fun.

They made their way outside and looked up at the shadow that loomed over them.

An enormous metal suit where a man sat, armed to the teeth. He had two enormous guns aimed down at them and Olivia's voice took on a grin; she tilted her head without a single fear to be seen.

"Ooh, you wanna play, do you?" she taunted. She elbowed Natalie once. "I got this one."

Natalie watched as she vanished and the man looked around frantically, attempting to find her. Olivia vaulted up onto the top of the machine, pressed one hand to it and ribbons of violet light flowed through it. The man gave a shout as he lost control, spinning wildly around and stumbling forward. Natalie ducked to avoid being crushed by the machine and Olivia landed gracefully in front of her.

"Hah, too easy." she said.

"_Sombra, what's your status_?" Gabriel's voice filled the Comm.

Olivia looked up at the tower nearby where Gabriel and Akande were standing. "We're good, Gabe. Just having a little fun. These guys are nothing." she told him.

She waved up in his direction and Natalie eventually joined. Gabriel sighed in the Comm.

"_Just get back to the ship. We're done here_."

O

It was raining.

Natalie removed the mask she was wearing, set it down beside her on the little bench. She pulled out a small wind-up duck and stared at it, smiling a little as she thought about the mission and how it had gone. Olivia eventually walked up to her, removing the mask she was wearing in the process. It felt a little ridiculous to still be in their costumes after the mission was over.

"Hey!" Olivia called, "You're still hanging out by yourself?"

"Oh. I suppose I am." Natalie told her. "I thought I'd get some air before I made my report."

"Well? Did you have fun?" Olivia strolled over and sat down next to her.

Natalie laughed a little. "You mean, on a mission? I got to try out some of my new toys. So yes, I did." She grinned excitedly now, her tone taking on an eager pitch. "I love how they worked! It was fun seeing the looks on their faces when my duck exploded!"

She caught herself once again in the middle of her excitement, cleared her throat and immediately washed the smile from her face; it was like watching someone put on a mask. Olivia frowned at that, shaking her head. She didn't understand it.

"Why do you always stop yourself from laughing, Nat? Just let go and have fun! I see you had a good time when you used your toys."

Natalie nodded in agreement. She managed a small smile. "I did."

"So?" Olivia shrugged her shoulders. "What are you worried about?"

There was a sigh from the other woman now. Natalie considered it for a moment before she looked at her. "I suppose it's because every time I tried to have fun, something went wrong."

"Huh." Olivia had to agree with that, but said nothing more. "Well, maybe you're trying too hard."

"Maybe." Natalie exhaled and smiled, glancing at Olivia briefly. She considered something only once before speaking in Spanish. "_Ya estoy lista para ese trago_."

Olivia grinned at her, laughing. "_Un poco mejor_."

"I thought that one would be better." Natalie replied, with a laugh.

"Well, I've been practicing my Afrikaans," Olivia told her, "_Nog 'n bier asseblief._"

Natalie leaned back, laughing as she studied the other woman with approval. "I thought you'd pick a phrase like that."

"Hey! What can I say? A girl loves her booze."

Natalie was quiet now after a shared laugh between them, thinking about something.

"You know, I was considering bringing some music with me during a mission." she told the other woman. Off of Olivia's curious look, she smiled. "My mother had a collection she had made when she was employed with a bank company in Johannesburg. She couldn't afford a babysitter, so she took me with her. I believe they still kept the files in memory of her. She was a model employee. It would help me focus, but I don't have time to go."

Olivia made a thoughtful sound. "Music? That's it?"

"I know, I know it's silly," Natalie told her, with a wave of her hand and a laugh. "I thought about going there and...well, if you want to come along, you can." She sighed and her voice dropped lower. "My mother won't be around much longer, so I wanted to get it while I had the chance."

She looked down at her watch and her eyes widened. "Oh! I need to fill out my report. Akande's asking for it and he wants my progress on my new project."

"Nat, hang on a sec," Olivia said, standing when the woman started to walk away. "I have to tell you something."

Natalie paused, looked at her. "Hm?"

Olivia opened her mouth to speak, paused and suddenly felt a little weird about it; a sense of vulnerability came over her, then, and she remained silent instead. Natalie stared at her and her features began to melt away into a frown of confusion as she waited for an answer. Olivia laughed sheepishly now, waving a dismissing hand.

"Nah, never mind. I'll tell you later." she said.

"Huh. Alright." Natalie looked still as lost as ever before she started to go once more. "I'll see you, then?"

Olivia brought up that smooth, collected tone she was famous for. "Yeah! I'll see you."

Once Natalie walked away, Olivia rolled her eyes with a small note of disappointment in herself. She decided to return to her base of operations in Castillo to clear her head. There was new data to explore and new opportunities to find what she wanted to know about the world and who controlled it. A little hiccup along the way wasn't going to stop her. Even if it lingered in the back of her mind.

She got up briefly to heat up leftover chicken in the nearby microwave, paused and waved her hand toward the stereo system along the wall. It immediately switched on, playing music from home; loud and echoing throughout the entire fort. Olivia was alone here most of the time, so she took advantage of it when she could. Most of those who arrived at the fort were passing criminals on the run. They never stayed long, at least, not as far as she allowed.

Once the leftovers had heated up, she carried the plate to her desk, crossed her legs and sat down to eat. With her free hand, she scrolled through the data streams in front of her, passing images of infamous people, moments she'd carefully "influenced" and information regarding potential targets. All of it had the potential to be useful in the future.

"Mmm, another day..." Olivia murmured, to herself. "Another new face to add."

She paused at an image of Natalie that had somehow made it onto her files. It was a prison photo she'd found after researching her criminal record. Olivia made a small sound of amusement, considered something before she swiped the images aside, bringing up a map of the world. She scrolled it and stopped at an image of South Africa, bringing up the city of Johannesburg on display.

It didn't take long for her to bring up a scrolling page of various banks listed in the city. It also didn't take long for her to find the same one that Natalie's mother had been employed with.

Too easy, indeed.

O

Natalie worked alone that evening.

She sighed impatiently, focused on her task of working on a mobile turret when she grumbled a curse in Afrikaans. She stood up, walked out of her workshop where members of her staff had gathered near her office. Natalie tilted her head, curious by the sight of a plate of _Koesisters_ sitting there. Under normal circumstances, Natalie would have jumped at the chance to eat her favorite snack. But not now.

"Mmm, looks like Dante's still trying his luck, huh?" one of her staff members said, with a laugh. "He brought your favorite treats. Can't believe that guy bakes?"

Natalie made a face, sighing through her nose. "He doesn't. He probably just brought them in from Johannesburg. I recognize the name on the bag. I'm not really hungry right now. I have work to do. You can all have them if you want."

She wandered down the corridors, ignoring the chatter behind her as she spent a moment studying a holographic screen of supplies she would need for her next project. Murmuring a few words in her native tongue, she paused when she noticed something buzzing slightly around her face. Frowning, Natalie looked up and was surprised to see a small drone fluttering around her.

She tilted her head, studied it; there was a simple sugar skull marking on the drone, but it looked just like the ones Talon used for surveillance shaped like a sphere.

It flew away, hovered at the end of the corridor, as if waiting for Natalie to follow. She looked confused as she walked after the drone when it turned the right.

"What in the...?" she wondered, aloud. She sighed as she followed the drone with an impatient noise. "If this is a game, I don't think it's funny."

It led her into the archives, hovering over something laying on a table. Natalie furrowed her brow, watched as the drone landed and she picked it up, studying the tiny candy skull symbol painted into it. She tilted her head with a curious note before setting it down and looking at what was left for her to find.

A small disk. Natalie picked it up, switched it on and it began to play classical music; songs of American singer, Elvis Presley were among them. There were even songs listed that she hadn't heard since she was a child at her mother's side at the bank. She brightened somewhat, laughed and danced a little to herself. She didn't know who left this for her, but they knew her music of choice well.

Natalie glanced down and noticed another miniature there, but this was in the shape of a duck. She glanced over her shoulder, picked it up and chuckled softly before walking back to her office.

Hm.

The following morning, she was listening to the music she'd been gifted with while she worked at her mobile turret. It performed a few turns and its spider-like legs twitched. It made grinding noises as it moved and Natalie furrowed her brow, confused by the sound.

"Ahh," she muttered, annoyed, "Of course. I forgot..." She thought about it as she stopped the mobile turret with a simple press of a button. "...the lubricant. Of course. What am I, a child?"

"Natalie." Akande approached her.

Natalie stood up straight, smiling at him. "Ah, Akande!" she greeted. "I was touching up this mobile turret for my next project."

Akande furrowed his brow and studied the creation before him. "A mobile turret? Do you know that they were scrapped after the Omnic Crisis?"

"Yes, of course." Natalie nodded in agreement. "However, I've made some improvements to the design that could turn it around for us and for your cause."

"It's not just MY cause, Natalie. It's the cause of us all. What we mean to do is create a war." Akande studied her now, gaze sharper. "Are you prepared for that?"

"I am." Natalie straightened her chin. "You gave me opportunity when others turned their back. Whatever you need, I will give."

Akande chuckled, nodding his head once. "Yes, I know."

He paused, considered something before placing a credit card into Natalie's chest pocket of her coat. She looked down at the offering, stunned and shook her head, starting to argue. Akande waved her off gently with a dismissing hand.

"Take it, take it, Natalie," he said, evenly, "I hear your mother's health is in decline. This is a small...reward for your good work and for Venice. So long as you continue to make your little toys for Talon, more of that will continue to come your way. I am a man of my word."

Natalie smiled, lowering her eyes, touched by the offer. "_Dankie_, Akande. _Baie dankie_."

"Of course. I take care of my people." Akande patted her shoulder once before he turned to depart. "Make sure that your mother gets herself something pretty. On me."

"I will."

Natalie reached into her coat, pulled out the card full of credits and grinned excitedly. She quickly hurried off, then returned to her turret with a laugh.

"Wait, I must finish this first, of course." she murmured, to herself.

"Hey! Natalie!"

Natalie looked up, frowning at the sight of Dante walking up to her. She exhaled slowly, lifted her chin and he smiled brightly, albeit a little awkwardly. She resumed attention to her turret while he approached her, one hand carrying a cooler.

"So, uh, did you get my present?" he asked.

"Oh. Yes, the treats on my desk." Natalie replied, "My staff enjoyed them. I didn't have time to partake. Thank you for the music, though. I didn't think you paid attention to my music tastes."

Dante frowned, confused. "Music? What music?"

Natalie shrugged her shoulders. She didn't push the matter. "Never mind. I have to finish work on this turret. Is there something else you needed?"

Olivia walked through the hangar and paused, watching the interaction between them. She could see Natalie's careful look and Dante's over-eager smile. She had no idea what was happening, but it brought her forward to see. Dante was walking away, but paused and stared strangely at Olivia before departing.

One of Natalie's staff members approached her and offered a holographic tablet. "I have the shipment list here for you." she said. She dared a glance toward Dante leaving before smiling broadly. "Oh! Someone's trying hard to crawl his way out of the doghouse, huh? Is it working?"

Olivia looked at Natalie curiously. "Yeah, is it?"

"No. I mean, ugh, I just need to finish my work, alright?" Natalie answered, with a sigh. Her tone was harsher than she intended. She glanced up at Olivia, who raised her eyebrows, bemused. "I'm sorry. I really should be happy. Akande gave me a very generous gift." She brightened. "I can finally get that home for her in Numbani. With a little left over."

"Hey! Good one!" Olivia said. Her tone took on a mischievous edge. "You can always take your mother out and celebrate."

"Celebrate?" Natalie thought about it. "Hm. Well, it's been a while, really."

Olivia nodded her head. "When was the last time you did that?"

"Oh well - "

"No, seriously, name three friends you could call right now for a drink." Olivia interrupted, raising three fingers. "And you can't say me, your Omnic pal, or anyone else here."

Natalie made a face and sighed. "Fair point." Then, she looked at Olivia curiously. "Did you still have anything you needed to tell me?"

Olivia suddenly grew quiet, wavering somewhat. She thought about telling her, but didn't understand why it was difficult. Nothing about Natalie was intimidating to her. It should have been easy to tell her what she wanted. Olivia never had a problem with that before.

She had a chance, but she didn't take it.

"Tell me on the way?" Natalie asked, frowning at her; she was confused.

"Yeah! Yeah, maybe." Olivia replied.

When they walked away, Olivia made a face. She didn't like how that had gone.


	5. Ek is mal oor jou

_Note - _This chapter was inspired by the song "Cut to the Feeling" by Carly Rae Jepsen.

~O~

**Ek is mal oor jou**

"Okay, Chris Clegg. Political activist in my hometown. He was known for his secrecy."

Olivia scanned the holographic screens while they were on the ship heading out. Natalie watched her with a smile as she quickly worked on looking up the name in question. It only took a few seconds before Olivia smirked.

"Done." she told her. "Got it all here."

Natalie leaned to one side, studying the screens with amazement. Every one listed detailed information of the man in question that Natalie hadn't known of. She blinked, looked at Olivia before nodding. The other woman's skills and intellect were impeccable. Natalie had never seen anyone with her abilities before. It was what goaded her on to see just what she could do.

"Come on, Nat. Give me a challenge!" Olivia said, grinning.

Natalie murmured thoughtfully. Then, she lit up with a challenging smile. "Alright. Leon Naude. He was a rich drug lord in Johannesburg. No one could touch him and he paid some of the most notorious hackers in South Africa to keep him under the radar. Go."

Olivia chuckled. "Heh. I bet he did."

She quickly worked to scan through rows of information and Natalie folded her arms across her chest, chuckling. "He was not able to be touched by any - "

"Done." Olivia told her, with a smile of pride. She laughed now, looking at the screens with a squint. "Oh my God, the big bad drug boss had a dating account when he was twenty-two. He liked Skrillex and going to festivals!"

Natalie blinked, astounded. "What? No. You can't have - " She looked at the screens and laughed when she saw that Olivia was exactly right. "Oh my. You really can find anything and anyone. That's impressive."

Olivia looked at her now, eyeing her up and down as she took in the compliment. Yeah, she knew what she was good at doing and she took a lot of pride in it; she didn't need anyone to tell her how good she was or to stroke her ego. But hearing and seeing Natalie so impressed with it gave her a different feeling. She LIKED hearing her so delighted with her skills.

"Yeah?" she said.

"I can see why Talon was taken by you." Natalie looked up at the drop-ship controls now. "Oh! We're almost there!"

Olivia nodded. "Cool."

She liked where this trip had gone so far.

O

Sasha brightened and Lethabo was amazed.

The news that Natalie brought to them that morning had certainly been a positive one for them. They hadn't expected her to come by and inform them that they could finally leave for Numbani. Natalie couldn't quite believe it either, but she was thankful to Akande and all that he had given her; opportunity when others simply waved her away when she begged them.

"Really?" Sasha exclaimed.

"That's wonderful!" Lethabo added, with a happy sound.

"That's right." Natalie was kneeling in front of her mother, showing her the card full of credits. "It's all there for you. I received it from my boss for all my work I've done for him. I counted it all and it's enough to get the two of you the place you need in Numbani. You don't have to live here in this place any longer. You can both be free and happy."

Lethabo sighed longingly and Sasha grinned. The thought of being able to leave the place where they had to look over their shoulders constantly was nothing short of wonderful. Olivia hadn't said much, but watched them with arms folded and a smile. The sight was cute, even she had to admit that. But her focus was more on Natalie, who couldn't stop smiling herself. Something about this look was different to her. Something about it made her feel differently.

Sasha clasped her hands together with Natalie's. "It's wonderful! At last, we can go? Natty, I don't even know what to say."

Natalie embraced her mother. "It's okay, mother. I told you, I'd take care of you."

Olivia watched them for a moment, leaning against the wall. She smiled now, approaching. "Well, everybody's happy. I had an idea. We should head out. We gotta celebrate!" she told them.

Natalie looked a little surprised by the suggestion. Not so that they should celebrate, but that Olivia had wanted to go out with her and her family.

"Really?" Sasha considered it before smiling up at Natalie. "I think I'd like a drink."

"Mother, are you sure?" Natalie looked concerned. "I don't - "

Sasha grinned and waved a hand in the air, dismissing her worries. "Ah, no, no. I think your friend's right, Natalie." she assured her. "We can celebrate. We've spent so much time worrying about the future and what it was going to bring us, and now, we can finally relax. After all..." She looked at Natalie with a gentle smile of acceptance. "How much longer will I have?"

Natalie swallowed thickly, but nodded. She didn't argue further.

"Sombra!" Sasha looked at the younger woman. "Take us somewhere you would go."

Olivia smiled broadly, raising an eyebrow as she studied the woman in front of her. "Oh! Look at you, _vieja_! Maybe you're more fun than I thought!"

Sasha chuckled, clapping her hands together once before rubbing them. "Mmm, when I was young, I used to get into all sorts of mischief, _meisie_. And I think I'm ready for more, tonight."

Natalie couldn't help her small laugh. She hadn't seen her mother this excited in some time. She gave Olivia a look and nodded her approval.

"Alright, let's go, then." she said, "I think we've earned a night of celebration."

Sasha was ushered out the door by Lethabo. "Three drinks should do the trick for Natty."

Olivia crowed with laughter. "Sucker's bet. Easy!"

O

Calaveras was bustling that evening.

Sasha looked impressed by the sight of the bar and its patrons, Lethabo was cautious and Natalie didn't seem to know what to think. But either way, no one left the bar. Olivia gestured to the group of various riff-raff around them with a broad grin.

"What'd I tell you guys, yeah?" she asked them, "Best bar in the world!"

"That man has a bloody head." Lethabo gestured toward a human in the corner.

They looked toward the corner in question and sure enough, a man in ripped jeans and jacket was sitting there, head covered in bright crimson. He was being checked on by another man, who laughed and joked with him, earning a punch to the chest.

"Oh!" Olivia shrugged her shoulders with a continuous grin. "Probably just a talk between friends. You know how it is, yeah?"

Sasha slapped her armrests, not at all worried about the sight. "Alright! Let's drink!" She looked up at Sombra as she made her way to the bar. "What's your poison of choice?"

Olivia laughed. "I think I like you."

Natalie looked at Lethabo, smiling a little in bewilderment. "I haven't seen mother behave like this in a long time," she told him. She considered that for a moment before continuing. "I'm glad for it, I suppose. It's been a while since we've all had the chance to really relax. Still, I want to talk to her about it later. She only does this when she's got something on her mind."

"She has cancer, Natalie." Lethabo reminded her. "She wants to have a night to forget it. Wouldn't you?"

Natalie sighed softly. "Of course. I know."

Sasha pulled up to the bar with Olivia, and Sergio stared down at the older woman with surprise, confused by her presence and the sight of her physical condition. Sasha waved him off with a dismissing hand.

"I know, I look horrible," she told him, "Pour me one, please."

Sergio looked at Olivia quizzically and she smiled, nodding. "Don't worry, Sergio. She's cool."

"Alright. What'll it be?" Sergio looked at Sasha.

"Your strongest vodka. Straight."

Sergio laughed. "Coming up."

Natalie eventually took a seat beside her mother and Lethabo joined in on the other side. No one in the bar seemed interested in him. They didn't question his presence, and Lethabo found that almost puzzling. He looked at Olivia for answers.

"They don't care what I am?" he asked.

"Nope." Olivia told him, "So long as you got the cash to spend around here, no one cares." She looked at Natalie and gestured with one finger. "You, me, drinking. Now."

Natalie certainly didn't argue with her on that.

"Would there be oil here?" Lethabo questioned.

Sergio looked back at him briefly before nodding as he poured drinks for the other three. "_Sí_, I have the finest around. Don't let them tell you otherwise when you get to wherever you're going, Omnic."

"Thank you."

The group relaxed in their seats, taking in the sights of Mexico's finest; the smells of the bar and the sounds of the chatter were strangely enlightening for them. Well, it was an interesting change of scenery for the three, but they couldn't quite refuse when everyone was having a good time. For Olivia, it was just her one way she could relax and enjoy herself.

Plus, a part of her wanted Natalie there. It made the evening more fun.

O

"I mean, do you ever feel like there's a force telling you to do something?"

"No."

"Oh. You gonna drink that?"

The two men were talking nearby and one of them had grown bored with his friend's conversation, leaning into his hand. Natalie looked over at them, leaned to one side before she took a drink of her beer. She looked up and noticed Sasha was spinning in her hover chair to music in the corner. A few patrons were clapping and laughing, a bit amused by her energy.

"...and all you do is work, work, work." Olivia told her, interrupting her thoughts.

Natalie nodded in agreement. "Hm. Maybe you're right. I'm being ridiculous. I should be celebrating today. But I can't shake this feeling my mother's keeping something from me."

Olivia scoffed with an amused note, shaking her head. "So you're saying _jefa _doesn't always go to bars and spin around in her chair?"

"No. Not at all. She hasn't been to a bar since the accident."

"Well, there's always a time for everything. Especially if she doesn't have much of that left." Olivia thought about that, considered telling Natalie about what Baptiste had tried pushing her to say. "Besides, you never know until you just jump, huh?"

She gave Natalie a small smile and the other woman didn't catch the change in her tone. "You could be right about that, too." she replied. "My mother's days are numbered. I have to accept that."

Olivia thought about what she had said. Maybe she would tell her later when everyone else left. It would make it easier and no one would be around to step on her toes. In the meantime, they decided to spend the night sharing more drinks and stories.

"...I once stole a car," Sasha was telling a story to Olivia, who listened with mild interest, "I had to get away from three men who had tried to rob me. They thought an old woman in a hover chair was an easy target. So I took their car and rode for almost twenty miles."

"Wow!" Olivia let out a guffaw.

"Mm-hm." Sasha looked quite proud of herself. "The hardest part was keeping from laughing when they ran all over each other trying to escape. Lethabo pretended he was a bomb rigged to explode."

Lethabo laughed. "I was going 'beep...beep...' the whole time."

The group laughed together, picturing the absurd scenario in their heads.

Sasha looked at Olivia now. "Okay, so now, you go, Sombra."

Olivia stared at them and went through her head what she felt like sharing. She murmured thoughtfully and Natalie looked at her with some curiosity in her smile. So she exhaled and shrugged her shoulders, leaning back in her seat.

"Well, I once blackmailed this rich _idiota_," she explained, finger tracing the rim of her glass, "He was sleeping with his assistant and I had to bust out one of my crew from jail." She laughed and slapped her thighs before making grand gestures with her hands. "This guy, I swear, the look on his face when I pulled up those photos!"

"Your crew?" Natalie questioned.

"Ah, an old gang I used to run with back in the day," Olivia explained, as if it were no big deal, "But I moved on to bigger, better things. Couldn't let them hold me back forever, you know?"

Natalie frowned thoughtfully, but murmured an affirmative. That made the most sense.

Sasha looked up at Sergio. "Uh, tequila. Keep 'em coming!"

O

Three more women in leather and prosthetic arms had joined them at their table after several rounds of alcohol. Natalie was leaning against Lethabo, singing the song they had playing in the bar. She had already begun slurring in her words, just as Sasha had remarked she would.

"So, you're saying, if I called you guys, you would drop everything and come and have a drink with me?" she asked, looking at them.

"Yeah! Totally!" one of them said, "'Cause that is what girlfriends do for each other."

Olivia had walked to the bar while Natalie talked with the new arrivals alongside her mother and Lethabo. The other woman appeared to be having a good time and laughed a lot more; of course, she was getting drunk and Olivia noticed that Natalie did plenty of laughing when she was. Olivia considered telling her how she felt about her, but everyone around would make it weird.

"You just have to talk to her," Sergio offered, interrupting her thoughts. "You're a catch, _mija_. She'll see that."

Olivia stared at him skeptically, as if he was ridiculous to even suggest that. "I mean, I _know _I am, Sergio." she told him. "Look at me." She gestured to herself briefly before sighing. "But...you know how these things usually go."

"I've never seen you stop yourself from something you want." Sergio leaned on the counter, smiling at her. "You want it? Sombra always gets it. But what's keeping you from her?"

"Nothing!" Olivia frowned impatiently. "I just..."

She huffed out, frowning toward Natalie, who definitely looked drunk enough. The woman was giggling, seemed to be having a good enough time. Olivia had no idea what stopped her from saying it. It wasn't like she was afraid. She was never afraid, of anything. Sergio just made an amused sound, shook his head and didn't push the issue any further.

"...I've never had friends like that." Natalie was saying, astonished. "Like, ever. At all."

Sasha nodded her head, patting Natalie's hands with a sympathetic smile. "My poor _baba_. She tried hard to make friends when she was a little girl. But Natalie had a bit of a temper since the accident."

"Mother, I did not..."

"You once punched the mailman."

"Yes, because he was being nosy."

"He wanted your signature for a package!"

"In my defense, I was drunk."

Sasha was laughing and shaking her head. She kissed her daughter's cheek and Natalie just grinned, relaxing into her mother's comforting embrace. It was nice and she liked the idea that her family was here with her. It was what they all needed, really.

"Well, not anymore, lady." one of the women said, slapping her glass down and putting her arm around Natalie's shoulders in a tight embrace, "'Cause we're your friends, now. And we like to party!"

She took a quick drink from another shot glass before offering her hand to shake Sasha's. "I'm Maria."

"Sasha."

Olivia eventually took a seat beside Natalie and crossed her legs in front of her. She glanced at the woman and studied her condition; Natalie had started swaying a little and nearly fell backwards off her chair.

"Whoa! Take it easy, _ligera_." she said, laughing.

Natalie leaned her head back before sitting straight up. "I have to go to the bathroom." she told them.

She stood up, walked toward the back of the bar before accidentally swaying into a man, almost knocking him over. He grunted, surprised and she muttered an apology before a woman approached, pulling her from him.

"Hey! What's your deal?" she snapped.

Natalie shook her head. "I'm sorry, I'm a little drunk right now, so I'm - "

"He's taken. So back off, bitch!"

Natalie blinked in surprise and Olivia was suddenly there between them, pointing a finger at the woman who stood a full head taller than her. "Okay, okay, so obviously this woman is having some serious trust issues, yeah?" she said. She gestured to her with two fingers in her face. "But she doesn't want to start something she can't finish. Does she?"

The woman seemed to consider that and furrowed her brow, glancing around the room. She glared down at Olivia, who returned the look in kind, but she was smiling instead, daring her to try something stupid. The tone was a clear threat and one she really didn't want to challenge in a room full of potentially dangerous people.

"Whatever." the woman said, with a snort, "Waste of my time anyway."

Olivia showed her teeth in a sneer, pointing at the departing woman with two fingers. "_Metetelo por la creta, puta_."

NOW the woman whirled, eyes wide and furious. "WHAT?" she spat.

Natalie's eyes widened. "Oh, shit, she knows Spanish."

It became chaos as the woman lunged for Olivia and immediately, the bar erupted in fighting. Punches were exchanged, tables were thrown and Sergio was shouting for Luis to come out and help him stop the fights. The other man emerged from the bathroom, wielding a wet mop and yelling like a maniac possessed in angry streams of Spanish, swatting at anyone in his path.

"ENOUGH!" Sergio yelled, over the din. "OR NO MORE FREE DRINK FRIDAYS!"

Immediately, the fighting stopped. Everyone straightened from their positions and were ushered out of the bar by Luis and his wet mop; a few disgusted groans from the patrons, but no one resisted him.

Olivia tugged the woman to her feet - the same one who had called Natalie a 'bitch". She smiled coldly, pointing a finger at her.

"I got your number, _pendeja_. No one hits my girl and gets away with it."

Natalie was lying face-down on the floor, mumbling drunkenly. "Am I going deaf in my right ear, or did she say I was her girl?" she asked, words partially muffled in the tiled floor.

Olivia balked, eyes widening when she realized what she had said. It was a temporary expression that she quickly hardened, pushing the other woman out of the bar with a few more annoyed curses in Spanish. Sasha was being helped outside as well by Lethabo. The Omnic apologized for what had happened and she smiled.

"No! Don't apologize, Lethabo." she said. "This has been the most fun I've had in a long time."

Lethabo sighed heavily. He certainly didn't like how it had ended, but she seemed happy enough either way, so he couldn't argue. He looked over his shoulder to Olivia, who walked up to them. She was chuckling softly, shaking her head.

"So, fun, huh?" she told them.

Lethabo shook his head. "A bar fight is what you call fun?"

"Don't worry about him, Sombra." Sasha told her, "It's not my first one." She laughed a little before looking over her shoulder. "How's Natty?"

Olivia looked over her shoulder now, watching Natalie sitting at the side of the road, rubbing her cheek with one hand. No doubt she had been hit in the chaos. She smiled and her eyes softened, only for a second before it passed.

"She'll be alright. Once she sobers up." she replied, laughing softly.

"Hm. Well, it's nice to have some time out," Sasha exhaled, "Since I may be going sooner than expected."

Olivia frowned at her. "Going? What do you mean?"

Sasha sighed quietly. She shut her eyes, looked at Olivia with a small, resigned smile. "I went to see the doctor. I tried to call Natalie, but she must have been busy working and missed it."

"And?"

"They gave me a week. Five days at least."

Olivia raised her eyebrows, surprised. "Oh..." She paused, looked back at Natalie, who hadn't seemed to have heard the news. "Huh. That sucks. That's why you're out here acting up."

Sasha laughed quietly, nodding. "I suppose. I thought if I'd been in a setting that made it easier for Natalie to handle, I could tell her." She thought about something and shook her head. "Natty's more fragile than she pretends to be, but I know she can't handle loss very well. She bottles it in and refuses to confront it. That was how she was when her father left us."

She looked up at Lethabo briefly. "Let's get Natalie out of here before she throws up on her shirt again." She paused now, speaking hesitantly. "Once we're in Numbani, I'll have to tell her."

Lethabo nodded once. "Alright."

O

They had arrived in Numbani in the small, but comfortable apartment.

Natalie groaned, sitting in the seat as Olivia studied her face, chuckling. There was a small swelling to her lower lip where she'd possibly been punched in the bar fight. Natalie winced and touched her lip before she looked at Olivia; she looked a little sober compared to what she'd been a few hours ago.

"Well, you know now I wouldn't just beat anyone's ass for my health." Olivia joked.

Natalie gave her a look.

"Alright, I would."

Natalie thought about something before she furrowed her brow thoughtfully. "What did you mean back at the bar?" she asked, quietly, but curiously. "When you called me 'your girl'?"

Olivia's cheeks felt warmer again and she refused to look at Natalie for a moment. Then, she waved a dismissing hand and reached down for a little bottle of alcohol. "Hey, hey, don't worry about that," she told her, "Just in the moment, you know?"

She reached up with a small cloth and Natalie gently took her wrist, stopping her. Olivia cleared her throat, a small blush touching her cheeks. Natalie looked at her gently, eyes softer.

"Sombra. I know what you're trying to say." she told her.

Olivia blinked at her, surprised. Her cheeks felt hot now. "You do?"

"I think I always did," Natalie answered, with a smile on her face. She lowered her eyes a little. "Maybe I suspected at first when you wanted to go out of your way to learn my language. I was told you never do things like that unless you want something from someone." Then, she frowned and looked at her, as if the thought of ill-intent had finally caught up with her. "I don't know what you think you can get out of me, I don't have much - "

Still blushing slightly, Olivia interrupted her with a shake of her head. "_Mierda_, if I wanted anything like that, I would have gotten it a long time ago."

A little laugh from Natalie. "I suppose that's true."

Olivia shifted where she sat, crossed her legs in the chair. She shrugged her shoulders and looked at Natalie expectantly. "I wasn't totally faking it, if that's what you're thinking, Nat." she argued. "Like when I knocked that _puta_ into the basket of peanuts for the win. That was genuine."

Natalie laughed again. "_Ek is mal oor jou_." she replied, her own cheeks darkening.

Olivia laughed as well, tilting her head. "Hey, not fair!" she protested, in mock disappointment. "I'm still learning the language."

"Look it up later."

Natalie winked a little and Olivia huffed, rolling her eyes good-naturedly. Then, she looked at Natalie seriously and tried to play off the embarrassment. But things seemed to have gone well. Natalie didn't react in a way that she had expected her to, but in a way that was nice.

"So..." she began, popping her lips once.

"So." Natalie reiterated.

The two women were silent, just giving one another fleeting, awkward smiles. It made Olivia feel like a young kid again and she thought it was ridiculous, but otherwise, not that bad. It was...nice.

"I should...go lay down," Natalie eventually said, standing.

"Yeah! Yeah, no problem."

Olivia rose as well and Natalie made her way to the door. She paused and looked back at her. Olivia raised an eyebrow, still attempting to play it cool. But she looked startled when Natalie leaned down, cupped one cheek and placed a chaste kiss on the other.

"See you later." Natalie told her, with a small, timid smile.

"Yeah. See you." Olivia replied, with a small chuckle.

When Natalie departed, Olivia stood there, laughing quietly to herself. Well, that had gone better than she thought. It made her smile as she thought about what would happen tomorrow. There was a lot to think about and most likely, Natalie would end up caught in her work. They'd probably talk about it when she was finished. Of course. Maybe.

She also thought about what Sasha had said. Natalie didn't know just yet. Olivia contemplated telling her, but maybe that could wait until tomorrow.

She took a seat and brought up the holographic screen to translate what Natalie had said.

"_Ek is mal oor jou_," she said, into the screen.

The screen immediately translated it into text and Olivia couldn't help but laugh.

[I adore you.]

She looked up at the sound of Sasha speaking softly.

"Natty...I have something to tell you..."

She shut her eyes, listening only for a moment at the sorrowful sounds Natalie made when Sasha finally revealed the truth.


	6. All for Show

~O~

**All for Show**

Natalie had been quiet for the next two days.

Olivia had run missions with Gabriel and Amélie. She was initially curious by what Natalie thought of her confession, but maybe her mind had been on her mother most of the time. That made a lot of sense considering what was going to happen to her. She was going to die. Olivia didn't understand much of the reason why Natalie was so sad about it. She expected it, right?

Taking out another group of Overwatch agents had proven easy and she stopped to give her report. Natalie was there, giving her report all the same; it was in regards to her mobile turrets. She was discussing the matter with Akande, who nodded his approval with thoughtful murmurs.

Natalie met her gaze and her eyes softened a little. She smiled toward her, only for a second before departing to resume her work.

Olivia moved to follow her, but Natalie was stopped by Amélie, who was interested in speaking with her. That was weird. Since when was she interested in her at all? They weren't exactly best buddies. Natalie dared a fleeting glance back at Olivia before she reluctantly followed the blue-skinned woman into another room. It must have been important.

"...this mission is important. I want you to be focused."

"I am."

"Are you? We need everyone here to be focused. You don't seem very focused to me right now, Natalie."

Natalie could be heard sighing and Olivia walked into the room; Amélie and Natalie looked at her when they heard her enter. Amélie sighed and rolled her eyes, staring at her expectantly.

"Do you want something?" she asked, curtly.

"What are we talking about in here?" Olivia looked at Natalie curiously.

Amélie regarded Natalie now in a sidelong glance. "Natalie has been given her first mission she will be performing. I'm to join her in the guise of a body guard for the entire trip." she explained. "And Natalie - " She chuckled, and it was unfriendly, "Doesn't seem very focused on the task at hand."

Olivia frowned at Natalie questionably and the other woman smiled sadly. She was trying to force resolve into her tone. "I'm okay, really. I understand that earning the attention of Pierre Rochefort is important to our cause. He will invest his finances into my inventions for use if he feels they are worth his time."

"Ah. Pierre, huh?" Olivia remarked, "Yeah, they've been trying to get him for a while."

"He has the men and the resources to be suitable to us," Amélie continued, nodding her agreement to Olivia's assessment, "Akande wants him brought to our fold as soon as possible. He has the men, and the money to secure our presence in Nantes. There was an interest expressed in your mobile turrets during one of the meetings they had a week ago."

"I see." Natalie nodded her head. "If that's what Akande wants, I'll work to the best of my ability."

"Good. I hope you do, _chérie_." Amélie replied. Her tone was colder now as she leaned close. She was still so calm, so composed, but her look and words definitely carried all the weight necessary to get her point across. "I do not want to fail a mission."

The words carried thinly veiled intimidation that Natalie surely did not miss. "Of course."

"Alright." Olivia said, looking at Natalie, "We might have a job on our hands after - "

She cut herself off, surprised when Natalie walked away without another word to her. It momentarily threw her, but she simply shrugged her shoulders with a murmur and walked away. But it bothered her a little, she wasn't going to lie.

Maybe she wanted to pretend like she never heard what they talked about.

O

Natalie was the first one through the doors of the expansive hall.

She was dressed in a suit, cloak and fancy shoes for the trip. Amélie had expressed her disapproval with her clothing of choice, but Natalie had argued that she was most comfortable dressing as a man and that her comfort would help her perform her task properly. Amélie didn't argue with that, but she simply snorted and rolled her eyes in response. It seemed like an excuse to her, but as long as it kept Natalie relaxed and focused on her mission, it was fine.

"Pierre likes a proper lady," Amélie explained, "Be sure you remember your manners."

"Of course."

The crowds of people were dressed in formal wear, the decorations elaborate and bright.

"Remember, Natalie, all of this is just a performance," Amélie's voice was hushed, but devious, "We all are saying one thing, yet we mean another." She turned and looked at her. "You must play the role efficiently. Most important thing of all, do not let Pierre and his associates leave the table without you."

Natalie nodded and the two women made their way through the crowds.

They were eventually approached by two men - Phillipe and Jean. Amélie whispered into Natalie's ear, explaining who the two men were.

"Phillipe is an old acquaintance of Pierre," she whispered, "Jean is his brother. He's the shorter one and that is what one might call a blow to his pride whenever it's joked about. They're like children. They talk about their gun collections and the kills they've made in their hunts."

"What sort of kills?"

"Animals. The larger the better, according to them." Amélie rolled her eyes. "They display their trophies at their little castle in the Alps. As if that's the sort of thing that makes you a true killer."

Natalie stifled a chuckle in response. "How do I speak to them?"

"They like to think that they're more intelligent than they actually are. Play to their pride, no matter how foolish they might sound. It'll get to you Pierre."

"You know what you're doing."

"I've always known."

The two men walked up to them, laughing and joking with one another before they focused their attention to the two women.

Jean was a shorter man with chubby cheeks; thick, meaty fingers that clutched a pistol holstered at his side. He had receding hair, a hard look to his eyes that lit up when he saw them. His brother was tall, bright eyed, grey-haired and dressed in a black business suit.

Jean was the first to reach out and shake Natalie's hand. "_Bonjour_." he said. "So, you're the one who's going to be impressing all of us with your inventions, huh?"

"_Goeie dag_." Natalie greeted.

Jean brightened and raised his eyebrows, studying her with intrigue. "Ah. An Afrikaans greeting. I haven't met someone who used that. _Bly te kenne_."

"_Praat jy Afrikaans_?"

"I'm afraid that's all I know." Jean joked, laughing and shaking his head. "That and..._My skeertuig is vol palings_."

Natalie stared blankly at him before she blinked a little and continued. "Ah. Well, my father was strict on manners."

"Who was your father?" It was Phillipe's turn to speak as he eyed Natalie curiously.

"Desmond Krige."

"Unfortunately, I've never met him." Phillipe waved a hand in the air, as if the conversation had begun to bore him a little. "I know everyone important in South Africa and I arrived here last week from Spain. I am inspecting my family's holdings."

"I see. I am here hoping that my inventions are of interest to Pierre." Natalie continued, inclining her head slightly. "The turrets I've created will supply proper security for your facility."

"Turrets?" Jean smiled, amused. "And you can make them all on your own, _chérie_?"

Natalie smiled, an over-exaggerated grin as her tone took on a faint drawl. She couldn't quite help herself. "Well, I certainly can. If I concentrate very hard with my female brain."

Amélie actually cracked a small smirk and stifled a noise at the joke before she lowered her eyes. It seemed to have gone missed by the two men, as they laughed to one another and shook their heads.

"That's alright," Phillipe assured her, "I'm sure you work hard if Pierre is interested."

Natalie put on a prim and proper smile.

They followed the two men through the crowds and Amélie looked at her with a mixture of amusement and curiosity. "Hm. Maybe you'll do fine after all."

O

The mobile turret moved its way through the courtyard on menacing, spider-like legs. Natalie stood before Pierre - a physically imposing man dressed to perfection. He had slick black hair tied neatly into a bun and dull brown eyes. He also had various rings of every shape and size on his fingers, shiny shoes and a pin on his lapel of his family crest.

"These mobile turrets, modeled after previous weaponry used during the Omnic Crisis, can position themselves on nearly every surface necessary," Natalie explained, to those watching, "It possesses a cloaking package which can hide it from any threat."

Pierre seemed to consider something as he studied the machinery before him. Natalie had demonstrated the bonuses to her turrets, which he approved of, so far. Still, he had other questions on his mind. "Akande assures me that you are a brilliant inventor."

Natalie smiled. "I do well."

"Where did you go to pursue a secondary education?"

Natalie's smile thinned now and she looked caught off guard by the question. "Oh. I...don't have a secondary education."

A few disapproving murmurs from the men there immediately changed the tone of the conversation. Natalie caught a look of annoyance from Amélie at the corner of her eye. It was hard to tell who she was most annoyed with, however. It bothered Natalie, the contemptible smiles from the men who seemed satisfied that their assumptions had been correct about her.

Pierre chuckled. "_Charmant_. Akande wants me to become associated with an uneducated toymaker."

Natalie swallowed thickly, forcing resolve in her voice; the remark had hit a nerve with her, but she was determined to keep herself from losing her composure. "I can assure all of you that you will not be disappointed in what I can create. Akande assures you that you will make money. I intend to help all of you make that money. My inventions will protect your house and rid you of your enemies."

"Why aren't you educated, toymaker?" Phillipe was intrigued to know. He wasn't as snarky as the others with his questions, but seemed genuinely interested. "I admit, I'm curious."

"My mother," Natalie's voice was shaking somewhat and Amélie glanced sidelong to her, anticipating an abrupt reaction. "She was a victim of the Omnic Crisis. My time was devoted to taking care of her. She has cancer. Very little time to live."

"Oh." Phillipe seemed more sympathetic and surprised by the news. "Where did it hit?"

"De Aar."

"I've heard of that attack." Phillipe continued, eyes widening. "There were very few survivors. Few who did survive were overwhelmed by radiation from the bombs."

Jean snorted, shaking his head with disgust. "Omnics. The world would be better off if they all ended up in a junkyard for parts." He looked at Natalie with a small smirk. "I'm sure you agree."

Natalie's mind went to the past and how she had been alone in De Aar, carrying her mother through the desert, alone, crying for help.

_"Help! Someone, help us...please..." Natalie begged, face streaked with dirt and tears. She called into the night, but no one could be seen except for the lifeless bodies around her. "Please, my mama needs help!"_

_She was so tired from walking and only wanted to lay down to rest, but couldn't. Sasha was moaning softly in pain, shivering from the cold and from her terrible wounds. The burns on her face oozed with pus and blood. _

_Natalie looked up now, startled to see Lethabo standing there on front of her, bending low to help her up. "Shhh," he soothed, "It's okay, _kleinding_. I have you. You're going to be okay."_

_"My mama, help her..." Natalie begged._

_Lethabo looked down at Sasha, easily scooping her up in his arms and carrying her away with Natalie tailing behind him. _

_"Don't worry. We'll get her help."_

Natalie shook her head, staring at Jean calmly. Remembering the face of her mother, Lethabo's help; it had evened her breathing and brought the strength back into her voice.

"Not all of them." she replied.

Phillipe looked at Pierre now. "Aww, have a heart, Pierre," he urged, "The poor thing's had a hard life. She spent it all caring for her mother, even as a child. That's a good enough reason to understand, isn't it?"

Pierre glanced at Natalie with a small sigh through his nose. "Maybe so. Akande has never been wrong in his investments."

Amélie smiled somewhat.

"Very well," Pierre replied, offering Natalie his hand to shake. He smiled at her now. "I will keep this turret as insurance. You understand."

"Of course!" Natalie nodded. "You may keep that one. I'll have the controls ready and two more prepared for you."

"Two more?" Pierre was impressed. "Well, you know how to give, don't you?"

"I know an ally when I see one," Natalie told him, "And someone so well-known and powerful in France? I'd be a fool not to."

Pierre smiled, pleased with the response. "Well said."

Natalie was invited to sit with them at the dinner table shortly afterwards; wine was passed around, dishes of elaborate meals and dessert. All the while, Amélie observed the dialogue from her place by the doors, emotionless to it all. Natalie was more comfortable now as she spoke with them and that seemed to make things go better than she expected.

"How was life before the Omnic Crisis?" Phillipe queried.

"Mmm, the best I've seen," Natalie remarked, with a small chuckle. "No rats."

A few laughs from the men at the table.

"You know, Jean could tell you a thing or two about rats," Phillipe joked, elbowing the other man at the table. "We were in America once and he shot down the rat there the size of a small horse."

"...I had no idea the money was in the stove. How was I supposed to know where she'd hidden it?"

"...And here I was..."

They continued to share stories and Natalie was laughing. She looked over toward the woman standing by the doors, eyes questioning. Even a single look from her would tell Natalie how she was doing.

A single nod from the assassin. One of approval.

That was all.

O

"Rochefort has been brought to our fold."

"Good. I'm very happy to hear it. How did she do?"

"Better than I thought. Beginner's luck. She nearly crumbled when they brought up her lack of education."

"It's a sore spot for her. You understand."

Natalie could hear Akande and Amélie talking about the mission and how it had gone. Her mind was filled with distractions after they'd returned, so she paid no attention to much of it and the other woman's quips about her. Instead, her focus was going to her workshop where her staff had been gathered at a table. They seemed to be interested in something.

"So I suppose the floors are cleaning themselves now?" Natalie quipped.

The staff members parted a bit, smiling weakly at her. One of them stepped forward and held out a card. Natalie frowned at him, confused.

"What's this?" she asked.

"We've heard about your mother." the woman said, "We all signed this card and got this for her."

Another one held out a huge bouquet of flowers. Natalie held out her arms in disbelief and took it.

"We wish her nothing but luck on her journey to the next life." a man in the back said, smiling. "It's not much, but we wanted to do something for you. You've been a great boss to work for."

Natalie stared down at the offerings, and then to her staff members watching her. She looked confused, mildly lost about this before she cleared her throat.

"Thank you. But we have a schedule and you have to prepare more mobile turrets for Pierre." she told them. "Get back to work, please."

"Yes, ma'am!" they said, together.

Natalie promptly walked away, swallowing thickly. It took a great effort not to cry.

She departed for Numbani to visit her mother, who had become bed-ridden with Lethabo at her side. He had tended to her every need, much to Natalie's approval.

"Her sight failed her earlier this morning," Lethabo whispered to her.

Tears filled Natalie's eyes, but she forced herself to calm. She knew her mother couldn't see the offerings, but she could feel the flowers with her hands. Natalie sat by her bedside, reading off the names that had been signed on the card. Sasha was honored by this and even brightened as much as her strength would allow.

"Oh my, they did this for me?" she said, chuckling.

"I don't know why," Natalie muttered. "I didn't think any of them liked me."

"Maybe you've finally found friends after all, _baba_," Sasha mumbled, weakly, "Despite where you've been, I dare say they care for you. Maybe even that Sombra girl."

Natalie exhaled. She wasn't so sure. "Mm, I don't know..."

Sasha patted her hand with weak, shaking fingers. "I'm sorry I couldn't hold on long enough," she said, softly. "And I know..." She hesitated briefly. "I know your father would have wanted to see you do better."

Natalie's lips thinned and she looked away. "Mother, please..."

"He did try hard, Natty," Sasha argued, breath strained, "He was just afraid. He ran because he was scared to see what happened. I don't hate him for it. You shouldn't either."

"He abandoned us." Natalie whispered, her voice colder now.

"Natalie...please. Don't."

She cleared her throat, spoke evenly now and held her mother's hand in hers. She didn't want to spend her mother's last day arguing with her. She wanted her to be happy and comfortable as much as she could be before passing away. Lethabo had said nothing else the entire time. He only watched them with a sad sound.

"I just want to go knowing that you find happiness," Sasha told her, with a weak smile, "I hope you know what it's like to smile again."

Natalie's mind wandered. Sasha saw it and she chuckled softly.

"That girl. I'd seen how you smile at each other," she said, "I hope you find your happiness with her."

Natalie shook her head, still refusing to believe that.

"I'm blind, but I can hear you shaking you head," Sasha laughed. "Just try. An old woman's dying wish, then. What do you have to lose?"

O

Olivia saw Natalie walk through the conference hall. She looked exhausted and her eyes were red, as if she'd spent time crying. Though her focus was primarily on Akande and a report she had been giving him. She seemed to be thinking of something before nodding once. Akande nodded his approval in response.

Natalie walked out of the conference room, stopping when she saw Olivia. She smiled, as if relieved to see her before approaching. The look was a surprise, but Olivia was a bit happy that attention was back to her, it seemed.

"I'm happy to see you, Sombra."

Olivia smiled a little. "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry if I haven't talked after..." Natalie cleared her throat, cheeks lightly touched with pink, "Well, I've had much on my mind today. I hope you understand."

"No, no, I get it," Olivia dismissed that with a single wave and an awkward chuckle, "Yeah, I mean, I know."

Natalie laughed a little, just as awkward. "Ah, that's good. I mean. Great."

The two women were silent now, just standing together. Natalie looked at Olivia with a small smile on her face. "Would you like a drink? I'll buy."

Olivia nodded, happy with the suggestion. "Definitely."

The two ventured to a bar in Venice; Natalie wanted to choose the place and Olivia - despite her displeasure with the general atmosphere - didn't want to really argue when the idea of a free drink was offered. They took their place at the bar, sat at a table to talk about what had happened on the mission.

Olivia's fingertip absently traced the rim of her beer glass. "So it worked out?"

"It did," Natalie told her, with a smile. "I didn't think it would, honestly." She sighed through her nose. "My mother passed before the mission, so it took everything I had to keep myself focused."

"Really?" Olivia watched her nod her head. "That sucks. So, when are you going to the funeral?"

"I'm not." Natalie replied. "My mother wanted to be buried at the place of our original home. I asked her about it and she wanted to be where we were happiest." She laughed sadly. "Where I smiled more."

"Huh." Olivia thought about that. "Your mom's real sentimental, huh?"

"I suppose she was. At least she got to leave that place before she died."

They were silent once more and it was almost awkward at first. The two of them were still thinking about the bar and what they had revealed to one another, but neither one seemed willing to approach it first, just yet.

Then, Natalie reached into her pocket, removing the disk that contained the music Olivia had left for her before. It was a good way to ease the uncomfortable silence a little. She smiled somewhat, looked up at her.

"Did you leave this for me?" she asked.

Olivia chuckled, nodding her head. She appreciated the distraction a bit. "Yeah. It wasn't hard to get it." she told her, leaning back in her chair, gesturing to herself with one hand. "It's me, remember? I can find anything and anyone."

"Of course." Natalie laughed. "Well, I appreciate it."

"It's better than anything that Dante could ever do, huh?"

Natalie's smile slowly disappeared from her face now. She furrowed her brow, as if she had trouble comprehending what Olivia had just said. Her eyes darted around the room, a look of discomfort lingered there before a disappointed one flicker touched her gaze.

"You...only did that to show up Dante?" she asked, her voice quieter now. Almost hurt.

Olivia missed the wounded tone in her voice. "Heh, yeah!" she said, "Like that _puto _could ever do anything better than what I could."

She laughed again, but stopped when she noticed Natalie wasn't smiling. In fact, she looked devastated by the joke. Olivia's smile disappeared too, and she looked confused now.

"What?" she asked.

Natalie smiled sadly. "I see. I should get back to work."

She stood up and Olivia blinked up at her in disbelief. "Hang on, what's up?" she asked. "What'd I say?"

"N-Nothing I just..." Natalie seemed to struggle not to have her eyes mist over. Her voice was shuddering somewhat. "I'm glad you said that. I...I didn't want to make another mistake."

"Mistake? Hold up!" Olivia tried to stop her, but Natalie was already leaving.

Olivia stood there, unable to fathom what had just happened. She sensed the bartender watching her and frowned at him; he shook his head with dismay and went to work cleaning a glass. He muttered something in Italian and Olivia snorted in response. It took her but a single moment that followed when she understood exactly why Natalie had been upset.

She sighed, shutting her eyes. "Shit..."

O

_Note_ \- Natalie's flashback scene was inspired by the track "Hurt" by Thomas Bergersen. The ending of this chapter was inspired by the song "I Want to Know What Love Is" by Foreigner.


	7. Love Me Tender

~O~

**Love Me Tender**

"Wow."

Olivia rolled her eyes at Baptiste's funny look. He laughed in amusement now, shaking his head and it irritated Olivia just a little. She knew that Natalie was upset about the joke, but she really had no idea why it had upset her. That's what she did. She joked. Natalie knew that, right?

"She wants to know that you did it for her, not just to make Dante look stupid," Baptiste reminded her. "_Kou lan guet_, you really didn't see that?"

"Of COURSE I did that for her!" Olivia snapped, annoyed. She threw her hands in the air, rolling her eyes. "She actually thought I only did it to show him up. Like I really need to show anyone up."

"Sombra." Baptiste tried to talk over her, but she interrupted him again.

"I'm just saying," Olivia continued, "That guy is a complete idiot and she constantly - "

"Sombra!" Baptiste interrupted her now, snapping louder.

"What?" She glared impatiently at him.

He smiled knowingly. "You're jealous."

Olivia scoffed in response and Baptiste continued, despite her look that insisted otherwise. "Listen, you didn't like the idea that Dante could win Natalie back over. So you stepped over him to make her happy."

"Yeah? So what?"

"So..." Baptiste said, gesturing with one hand to emphasize his point, "That's called being jealous. If you care - ah, don't look at me like that, you care - you have to make her see that you didn't just do it for yourself. But for her."

Olivia frowned, a very vulnerable glare touching her eyes.

Later that evening, Natalie was assisting her staff with delivering the turrets to Pierre's estate. She handed a tablet to him, listing off the various controls for the machinery and he listened intently the entire time. His attitude toward her had changed once she had proven her intellect in creation. Natalie didn't mind it either way; she had always expected that sort of mentality from anyone.

"Each turret functions on an automated tracking system, depending on how you set it," Natalie explained, "They have a built-in cloaking function as well, though that will drain the power source quickly and they will require ten seconds to cool down. So you have to use that part of it wisely."

"Of course." Pierre nodded his head once. He looked at her inquisitively. "Anything else to know?"

"The turrets are highly sensitive to tracking," Natalie continued to explain, making a thoughtful face, "Their sensors will spot any movement - even the slightest twitch before they activate. Watch."

She reached into her coat and removed a simple, wind-up mouse. Turning the little key, she set the toy to the ground and it squeaked once, darting off. The turret behind them immediately sprung to life; lasers opening fire on the small toy and obliterating it into nothing more than metal parts.

Pierre whistled his approval. "Hm. Well, perhaps I misjudged you, toymaker."

"It's fine. It happens quite a bit, actually." Natalie quipped, with a small smirk on her face. She couldn't help it. "I hope my inventions will change the minds of not just you, but others with your ambition."

As she was told, Pierre ate up her flattery. "Well, I'm glad to have made quite the impression on you. I will take these turrets and make excellent use of them."

He was happy with the results and Natalie stepped aside to speak into her Comm-Link to Akande. "Delivery completed."

"_Good. Now take the day off. It's earned_."

Natalie blinked, a bit surprised by the words. "Really?"

"_Yes. I have no further need of your services at this time. I will be absent for the remainder of the day to pursue my own interests_."

Natalie stood in awkward silence. She had no idea what to spend her day doing, but her mind wandered with many ideas.

O

Calaveras was empty.

Natalie spotted Sergio talking at the bar with Luis in Spanish. She wasn't as fluent in the language as she had wanted to be just yet, but she caught snippets of a mention of a dumpster being ransacked in the back; possibly, the matter involved thieves or raccoons, according to what she could make out. Luis waved his arms with irritation and yelled in an angry stream of Spanish.

Natalie cleared her throat and the two men stopped arguing in time to look toward her, surprised by her presence.

"Oh! It's you, _mija_," Sergio said. "I didn't expect to see you here. What can I get for you?"

"Nothing, really," Natalie told him. "I just thought I'd - Huh. Your bar's empty."

Sergio smiled and nodded. "It's Festival de la Luz!" he told her. He gestured behind him. "_Mira_, _mira_, they're setting up for it outside."

Natalie was curious, so she wandered out into the street and noticed the work being done; the brightly-colored decorations, lights and delicious food being prepared by vendors. She smiled a little and wandered through the town, stopping an older man with a pat on his shoulder.

"Excuse me?" she said.

He raised his eyebrows at her curiously.

Natalie struggled to recall the Spanish she had been practicing. "Uhhh, _que esta pasando_?"

He smiled. "Not bad." he told her, in English. "Work on your pronunciation, _novia_, eh?"

"Oh, you speak English?"

He nodded. "Yeah." He looked around, gesturing to the decorations. "It's Festival de la Luz. We celebrate it every year. After the Omnic Crisis, there was this long period of darkness when the Omnics destroyed our power grids. We called it '_La Medianoche_'."

Natalie looked surprised. "I see."

The man nodded his head. "But LumériCo and its CEO, war hero and former president Guillermo Portero." He pointed to a statue at the center of the square. "He's said he's unveiling a string of fusion plants that promise to deliver clean, free energy to the Mexican people."

"Do you believe that?"

The man laughed and waved a hand in the air. "Ah, they say someone named Sombra showed Dorado his true colors. He's on borrowed time, _Señorita._ He knows it. We all know it." He wiggled his fingers dramatically. "He's just a little ghost waiting to expire in his castle of glass and light."

Natalie made a thoughtful sound and glanced up toward the town square. She began to hear music and a small smile touched her cheeks. It sounded like the celebration was underway.

Well, this seemed like a nice way to spend her time off.

O

Olivia entered the bar when the festival had begun, finding Sergio tending to a few patrons with some beer bottles and filled pitchers. It wasn't as busy as it usually was around this time of night. He glanced up when he saw her, holding up one hand for her to wait before he approached her. Olivia exhaled and took a seat, leaning against the counter.

"Long day?" he asked.

Olivia made a face. "Something like that."

Sergio began to pour her a glass of her favorite drink before pushing it to her. Olivia took a simple swig of the glass, and then she slapped it down once she finished it.

"_Oye_. Your friend was in here earlier," he said.

"Friend? What friend?"

"Ah, that lady, uh..." Sergio snapped his fingers as he struggled to remember Natalie's name. "Ah! Natalie."

Olivia raised an interested eyebrow. She turned completely in her seat to look at him now. "Nat was in here? What'd she want?"

"Mmm, not sure, to be honest." Sergio's brow wrinkled thoughtfully. "She didn't seem to know what to do with herself, so I told her about Festival de la Luz. She might still be there taking in the sights."

"Huh." Olivia tapped her fingers against the counter rhythmically. She considered something before slapping the counter once. "Thanks for the tip."

Olivia left the bar and ventured down the street, passing groups of people dressed up for the festival. She could hear music playing, chatter in the town square as well as smell food. It was a little nice to be back home during the festival, she had to admit. She even remembered her old days with her gang when they used to raise a bit of hell together. It brought a smile on Olivia's face. She wondered what they were up to these days.

Moving through the crowds in the square, Olivia couldn't see signs of Natalie yet. Maybe the other woman had moved on.

It wasn't until she heard the familiar voice of Natalie near a fish stand that it made her stop and look over. She was there, in fact, talking with the owner of the stand and seemed to be a bit more happy tonight. Maybe going out had been a good idea.

"_Encantado de conocerte_." the owner of the stand was saying.

Natalie tried to repeat it, but once more, fumbled with the pronunciation.

He shook his head, exasperated. "No, no. EN-CAN-TA-DO."

"_Encantado_." Natalie repeated, with a little more success.

He smiled his approval and nodded. "Ah, _muy bueno_." He reached down and offered her a plate of baked fish.

"Thank you." Natalie smiled in return, taking the offering and walking away.

Olivia watched her take a place on the statue's stoop to eat her food. She thought of something before disappearing with a single wave of her hand, cloaking herself from human eyes.

Natalie took a bite of her fish before she tilted her head thoughtfully, pleased with the flavor.

"Miss me?" Olivia remained cloaked, but whispered it close to Natalie's ear.

Natalie looked up with a small sound of surprise, eyes widening. She scanned the area around her for a moment. Then, she laughed quietly, shaking her head. "Couldn't resist, could you?"

Olivia stayed cloaked. "Hah. Never could."

Natalie smiled a little, though her eyes looked sad. "I'm sorry. I suppose I - "

"Couldn't stay away?" Olivia guessed; her tone playful, though still careful all the same.

"I suppose not."

It was quiet between them now; Olivia still remained cloaked and didn't quite know how to approach the situation now. It was a little weird for her as she usually knew what to do whenever she needed to do anything. But she watched as Natalie glanced around before she exhaled. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but seemed to change her mind.

"Nat, listen..." Olivia spoke first, albeit hesitantly. She gave a long groan of frustration before continuing. "I'm, uh, not exactly the expert here. I don't usually say that. Give me a government database to hack and I'm all over it. But this stuff? I don't know."

Natalie thought about that. She set her plate down beside her and crossed her legs. "Well..." she began glancing at her side. "Why don't you tell me what you want to say while you're cloaked?" she suggested. "That way it's easier."

Olivia was silent for a moment. "Sure. Okay. I...uh," she began. "I like you, Nat. You gotta know I don't do things just to be nice."

Natalie licked her lips before she chuckled. "I know."

"No, wait, that isn't what I - UGH." Olivia snorted, "I mean I'm not..."

"I know what you mean, Sombra." Natalie assured her, still smiling a bit.

Olivia made a noise of amusement. "So I guess this means you're not mad?"

"No. I'm not mad." Natalie reached down to retrieve her food and set it on her lap. She didn't eat it, however and just stared at the contents, absently picking away at it as she continued. "I think I was just a little over-sensitive about it, is all. Given how my mother had passed, it was probably just bad timing. That's been known to happen with me - being too sensitive about certain things."

"Really? I couldn't tell."

The two shared a laugh and Olivia figured everything was fine now, so she reappeared, sitting beside her. She glanced down at the food that Natalie was eating and stifled a snort.

"You're eating that?" she asked. "Really?"

"It's good, actually."

"Come on." Olivia said, taking her hand. "Let's go."

She led Natalie to a bakery in town, which she swore was the place to get the best sweet treats there was in town. Once Natalie found something suitable to eat, they sat outside of the bakery; Olivia watching as Natalie took a bite of one of the Capirotada. The other woman's features lit up with a delighted sound and she nodded her approval. Olivia smiled, laughing as she watched Natalie eat the treat.

"See? What'd I tell you?" she said. "Best bakery in town."

"You're right, it's good!" Natalie told her, with a mouthful of food.

Olivia laughed and shook her head. "You're easily impressed."

"I am. I suppose so." Natalie took another bite. "I never had the opportunity to be a child. Perhaps I'm just...slowly catching up. I do want to have fun and enjoy myself but...it's difficult."

"Hey, you got all the time in the world, yeah?"

There was an abrupt clap of thunder that made the two women look up. Olivia tilted her head before she looked at Natalie.

"Well, looks like the festival's over."

O

The rain came down heavy quickly.

Natalie and Olivia ducked their way into an alley and watched people scramble to collect themselves and enter their homes. The two women were drenched from the rain, but took shelter beneath a tarp hanging over the alley.

Natalie ran a hand through her soaked hair, giving Olivia an embarrassed grin. "Well, what a way to spend my day off." she remarked.

"Oh, so the boss gave you the whole day, huh?" Olivia smiled back in return.

"He did. I've never had a day off, at least in quite a while. I don't quite know what to do about it."

Olivia walked closer to her, smiled playfully and leaned her head forward, lightly tapping Natalie's nose. She took the chance now. "I know how you can spend your day off, Nat."

Natalie's eyes darkened somewhat with interest. She smiled, suddenly shy. "What did you have in mind?"

Olivia reached up, brushing a little lock of hair behind her ear before cupping her cheek with one warm hand. She wondered if Natalie would retreat and she half expected her to, but the other woman didn't. Instead, Natalie's eyes closed halfway and her lips parted. Her brow wrinkled somewhat and a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips, but she said nothing. She only watched with rapt attention.

She could almost hear Natalie swallow as she placed her other hand on her cheek. Her lips were warm, breath steady against her own as Olivia pulled her closer to her chest. Her lips found Natalie's and the kiss was slow, surprisingly chaste; a small note of pleasure from Natalie's throat was very encouraging to keep going.

It was strange and delightful being able to kiss her at last; but Olivia still wasn't quite sure. She'd imagined it once or twice - she wasn't going to lie to herself about it - but she wondered if Natalie would try to push her away. Laugh at her as someone else in her life had...

But she didn't, even when she expected her to. She did, however, take but a second before she responded, hands slipping around the small of Olivia's back to keep her there. Not a sliver of air was left between the two. It moved slowly at first, their lips rolling over one another before Olivia made a pleased sound. It was nice to just move at this pace for a bit, but she wanted more. Quickly.

Her lips parted, tongue playing at Natalie's lips in search of her own. It was bold and daring of her to jump so quickly, but Natalie didn't resist her. A murmur of eagerness rolled up from Natalie's throat. She responded in kind with Olivia's kiss, grunting when she felt long fingers push through her dark hair, scraping against her scalp; she fisted her hair then, pulling a little so that she could move her lips to Natalie's throat. Olivia couldn't help it, really. She loved the thick grunt of approval, the dark look of want in Natalie's eyes. The more she kissed, the more she touched, the more she wanted. Fast.

A heated chuckle against Natalie's lips and Olivia looked at her, cheeks flushed. Somehow she was capable of looking so utterly proud, despite looking so wanting at the same time.

"Heh. Why don't I take you home, Nat?" she queried, voice husky.

Natalie seemed to return to reality for a second. She stared at Olivia with a mixture of confusion and desire on her face.

O

Natalie didn't seem too interested in the details of Olivia's room when she was urged through the door, up against the wall while the other woman shared a deep, passionate kiss with her. They were still soaked from the rain, but gradually warmed in the heat of Olivia's room, as well as the building inferno between them. The breathless sounds they uttered between one another were almost loud.

A hand stroked Natalie's chest, reaching further in to give her breast a little squeeze through her clothes, earning a note of pleasure from the other woman. Palming the soft flesh in her hand, kissing her, taking her time with her. She wanted to, but the need pushed her further, faster.

Olivia pushed her thigh between her legs and Natalie grunted thickly, lips pulling away from hers only a fraction. She was breathing heavily as Olivia's lips found the sensitive spot behind her jaw.

"Oh, um...just so..." she tried. "Just so you know..."

Olivia pulled back a little, giving her an amused smirk as she took a second to even her breath. Her thumb reached up and brushed the corner of Natalie's mouth. "You're not gonna tell me you've never done this before, are you?"

A strained laugh from the other woman was her answer. "No! No. That's not it at all." she told her. "It's just...well, I haven't done it in a very long time. So there's a good chance I'll be..." Her eyes darted around as she blushed now for a new reason, embarrassed. "...very quick. I don't want that to disappoint you."

Olivia sputtered out a laugh in response, eyes roving over every little detail of Natalie's expressions. So that was the reason? She'd just come quickly? She sucked her teeth once.

"_Ay_, _pobrecita_. Don't worry about it." She threaded her fingers through Natalie's dampened hair, teasing her scalp once more before leaning close to ghost her lips over hers. Her words came out low, filled with thunder and smoke. "You have a whole day off. I've got nowhere else to be."

A flush touched Natalie's cheeks and neck and she shivered when Olivia's hands moved into her jacket, urging it off from her shoulders with ease. Once it was deposited on the floor, she guided her from the wall, toward the nearby bed. Natalie made a happy noise when Olivia settled on top of her, straddling her hips. Her hands swept slowly up and down Olivia's back.

Olivia straightened now, sat up and smirked down at her, fingers already working at the buttons of her shirt. She worked slowly, methodically in comparison to what Natalie had ever expected from her.

Olivia chuckled, raised an eyebrow and leaned down to kiss her again. But then, she hesitated, paused and looked at her; her violet eyes almost looked black in the room. She had to know.

"So, uh, you're sure?" she asked, so softly it was almost missed. The confidence in her voice disappeared only for a second, replaced with an unusual change that she never had before - she was concerned.

Natalie's eyes opened and she smiled up at her, nodding her head once. "I think I've been sure for quite a bit." she said.

Olivia grinned, tilting her head and brushing her fingers across Natalie's cheeks. "Yeah?"

"Mmm-hm." Natalie shut her eyes, murmuring contentedly at the contact. "I wanted to tell you but... I thought you'd laugh at me."

Olivia rolled her eyes good-naturedly before she traced Natalie's lower lip in a slow, tantalizing circle. "Heh. Well, you don't gotta worry about that, Nat. I laugh at Gabe all the time. I'm not gonna laugh at my girl when she wants a good fuck."

A snicker. "Good to know."

Olivia's hands had already worked her shirt open, finding that she wore no bra to deal with, much to her amusement. She brushed her palms against her breasts, earning a squirm and soft whimper below her. The noise was enticing and she was momentarily distracted by it before feeling Natalie's hands cupped her hips. They smoothed down her thighs before working themselves back up to gently make short work of her coat.

Olivia helped in removing it - which required little effort on her part, it seemed - before she tossed it to the floor without looking back.

The black and violet sleeveless top she wore was lifted shortly after that and Natalie took a moment to appreciate the sight of a topless Olivia sitting on her. She smiled, reached up to pull her against her chest, finally being able to savor the warm feeling of the contact of their skin.

Olivia shared another kiss with her before parting only a little to hiss softly. "You know, I have a toy for you, toymaker. I think you'll appreciate it."

Natalie's breath came out harsh now at the thought. She had pictured scenarios quite like this, but the mere thought of what the other woman could do built the anticipation in her chest.

"Well?" she gasped out, breathless from their kiss; she looked at Olivia, eyes heavy and smiling, "What are you waiting for, _my liewe?_"

Olivia grinned, leaning off of her just for a second to gather something from her bedside table. Natalie watched her, taking a moment to collect her senses and focus on the other woman. Olivia seemed to take a few more minutes before she found what she was looking for and placed it on the bed.

Curious, Natalie leaned up on her elbowed to see; a perfectly crafted strapless phallus with little circuits inside, ribbed along the length. She raised an eyebrow and picked it up, taking a second to study it. Olivia just chuckled at the look.

"This one's a little different," Natalie murmured, cheeks red. She was a little embarrassed, but put on a more technical tone, "I've never seen one like it before. Is it a new design?"

"Yeah, and it's fancy," Olivia explained, plucking it from her hands. "It uses the same tech for my cyber grafts."

Natalie sputtered a giggle. "A transwarping sex toy?"

"Hah! _Dios_, no, nothing like that, but that would be hilarious. No, it's just really expensive," Olivia shrugged one shoulder, and the grin on her face was masking the need in her voice, "I may or may not have stolen it." Off of Natalie's funny smile, she grinned. "What can I say? A girl has to have the latest and greatest."

Natalie looked down at her reasonably clothed body and the skin-tight pants that Olivia still wore. Well, discussing the whole matter of the toy definitely left her agitated and wanting. She reached for her and Olivia set the toy aside to lean in and work her fingers into Natalie's belt, unbuckling it slowly. An intoxicating chuckle from Olivia and fingertips brushed against the naked skin of her abdomen.

"I'm sure you're gonna like it, Nat." Olivia assured her.

A few wiggles of her hips and Natalie helped her free of her confining pants. Olivia aided in undressing her as well, taking a moment and letting her eyes rove over her naked form. Natalie had a little belly to her, slight muscles in her shoulders, arms and legs; no doubt from caring for her mother and from fighting. Overall, she wasn't disappointed with what she saw.

"Not bad," Olivia remarked.

A grin from Natalie. "Thank you."

Natalie took a second to admire Olivia as well; she noticed the little lines in her legs and those thick, lovely thighs - the implants that helped her teleport away from danger. And now that she was closer to her, Natalie noticed that there were even some of them along her neck and shoulders.

She touched them with slow, teasing fingertips and delighted in the way Olivia's muscles clenched at every contact, jumping only a little when her fingers found a sensitive place.

She thrilled at the thought of finally having her here and being able to touch her at last. Running one hand over the the shaved sides of her head and through the styled locks of her Mohawk; Natalie shared a kiss with her once more before pulling Olivia back to lay on top of her.

A delighted murmur against her lips from Olivia before she rested her hands on either side of Natalie's head, leaning up to smile down at her. It was a sly, playful look that did little to hide the lust; it made Natalie shiver with anticipation.

A thigh pushed between Natalie's legs, drawing a small groan from her lips. Olivia felt a streak of wetness against her leg and chuckled.

"Wow, already?" Olivia joked, "You must got it real bad, huh?"

"I did tell you." Natalie laughed breathlessly, hands teasing the little place where her cybernetic grafts and skin met on her back.

Olivia couldn't help her laugh at that. In part, she was also thrilled at the idea that Natalie was this excited for her. It made her unable to resist craving that feeling of being wanted. She wouldn't get that sappy with Natalie right now - it wasn't in her. Still, she felt her thighs ache, her skin itch with anticipation.

"I must just be THAT good." Olivia teased.

Natalie watched her with rapt attention as she trailed scalding, open-mouthed kisses down her belly. She hadn't taken her eyes away, but her gaze looked unfocused now, lips parted. Olivia's hands spread her, lips kissing the inside of each thigh in her wake, avoiding the place she was sorely needed. But she wasn't out to finish her so quick, even though Natalie had warned her she would.

Her thighs quivered as Olivia's mouth moved closer to that aching goal; Natalie leaned back onto her elbows, gasping out something in Afrikaans that Olivia couldn't quite catch. She gave a soft laugh when she felt those hips twitch closer to her mouth, trying to urge her closer toward the scorching inferno she had stirred with her lips.

"Please..." Natalie breathed.

Aw, poor thing.

Olivia felt a surge of smugness take her when she drew that plea from Natalie. She huffed once, finally granting her relief when she closed her lips over her.

Natalie leaned her head back with a low moan at the contact. Her fingers fisted the sheets as Olivia set to work; it was heaven, feeling her lips and tongue work tortuously slow paths between her legs. She was slow, very thorough and patient to draw it out as long as possible.

She gave a rough, deep rumble, and the vibrations felt wonderful. It didn't help that she already felt so sensitive from the buildup to have this. She gasped when she felt that tongue dip into her, caressing and twisting in all the right ways, nose bumping against the bud of her clit.

Each little dip of her tongue through the slick folds of her drew twitches from Natalie's hips, soft moans from her lips and the occasional curse under her breath. She had been right, however when she said she would be quick because it wasn't too long before her breathing was growing ragged.

"S-Sombra, I..."

Natalie bit her lower lip, shut her eyes and her brow pinched - Olivia glanced up to savor the sight - before she began to pant softly, hips twitching against her for more pressure.

"I'm going to..." Natalie whispered huskily, "I'm going to come if you keep doing that and I don't want..." She swallowed once.

It certainly got the point across and Olivia straightened, sitting up only for a moment to take the toy and adjust herself. Natalie shivered, ignoring the scalding heat between her legs that the other woman had stirred.

"Are you...?" she queried. "Do you want me to help with...?"

Olivia gave a strained laugh. "I'm ready, don't worry about me. I'm the one taking care of you, remember?"

It was unusual and it took Natalie a second to consider that with a frown. But she'd inquire about it later. Right now, she wanted relief and who was she to question any more right now when Olivia offered it?

She slipped her arms around Olivia's shoulders, sharing a kiss with her and feeling her arm move at her side; she was fitting the toy into herself with a heated grunt, she could tell. When Natalie parted, she caught the breathless smile on Olivia's face and smiled back in return. She did enjoy an Olivia always emboldened, but there was something just utterly irresistible when it was carried with lust.

Especially if it was for her.

Olivia settled onto her ass in the bed, pulling Natalie to sit on top and it earned a little note of approval from the other woman. It brought their chests flushed together, leaving no air between them. Natalie groaned when she felt the toy pressed between their thighs and cupped Olivia's cheeks.

A smile lit the woman's lips and she raised her eyebrows in question. Her cheeks were flushed, eyes unfocused and her breath thick. "Yeah? You good?"

Natalie smiled back in return. "I'm good."

She wrapped her arms around Olivia's shoulders and rolled her hips against the toy, coating it in her body's excitement. Olivia responded by rocking her hips up with her, clearly enjoying such an act. It felt amazing and she only did this for a few moments more before Olivia's hand adjusted herself, guiding her right down onto it on one smooth jerk of her hips. Natalie took her cleanly, having been more than ready for it.

Natalie's head fell forward against Olivia's shoulder, uttering a soft "shit" under her breath. Olivia didn't wait any longer and started rough thrusts into her. Given the pleased, heated moans in her ear, Natalie was enjoying every second. She thrust her hips in time, helping Olivia along. Once they had gotten started, urgency overcame them in their drive to completion. There was nothing slow about their movements; only the harsh sounds of their breaths, their occasional curses and sounds of their bodies.

"Yeah?" Olivia breathed out.

"Oh, yes..." Natalie gasped.

She leaned her forehead against hers, still holding onto her as the other woman moved, watching those dark violet eyes focus on her with all the lust and frustration she had felt all day. Natalie had never seen anything so lovely in her life.

Then, Olivia stopped only for a moment to guide Natalie onto her back before quickening her thrusts once more. This was much better and she could hold onto her properly. True to her word, Natalie was already coming undone given the unabashed groans filling Olivia's ears. Natalie's legs wrapped around her waist, holding her in place for every harsh movement. Her fingers scraped pleasantly through her scalp, into her Mohawk before meeting her lips in a deep kiss of teeth and tongue.

They parted and Natalie trailed her lips along Olivia's jaw. It was particularly sensitive, earning a rough gasp above her.

"Nat...shit..." Olivia hissed, in her ear as she dropped her face into the other woman's neck.

Natalie held onto her tightly, fingers pressed into her shoulders now as she fought the deep, pooling sensation threatening to end her. Her body clenched tight, her skin flushed and aching. She wanted to last, she truly did. But when she looked up and turned her gaze to Olivia, the unfocused, half-lidded look granted her no strength to resist it.

"_Mi cielito_..." Natalie breathed.

Olivia gave a breathless laugh in response, momentarily taken by the words. She watched then as Natalie stiffened, letting out a groan and tossing her head, jaw clenched. She was trying to resist it for as long as she could, but Olivia wasn't having that.

"Come on, Nat." Olivia panted, encouraging her. "Don't hold back on me."

"I-I can't..."

"Sure you can. Don't worry about it. Just let go."

She quickened her pace and that was the end of the other woman; Natalie finally came with a small shout, clutching her tightly and letting out several small whimpers. The sight was enough to bring Olivia near the edge and she quickened her pace in response, burying her face in Natalie's throat.

"Mmm, S-Sombra, are you...?" she gasped, clenching anew.

"Y-Yeah." Olivia growled out.

Natalie felt her jaw clench, heard the swallowing sound against her neck. A low, but attractive "oh, fuck" escaped Olivia's lips before she dropped her head into the bed near Natalie's ear, letting out a deep, thick grunt as she came, burying herself deep into Natalie one final time.

She rode out her climax, still keeping her face hidden beside Natalie's ear. She seemed to take her time, but Natalie allowed her the moment before she ran her fingers down Olivia's flushed, sweaty skin. It took a moment before Olivia lifted her head, smiling up at her and resting her chin against her breasts.

"Mmm, you have nice _tetas_," she remarked, giving a single nipple a caress with one finger.

Natalie rolled her eyes with amusement, shivering at the sensation. "_Jy is so oulik_."

"Huh?"

"You're cute." Natalie giggled at the funny look on Olivia's face.

"Been called a lot of things, but not that." Olivia quipped.

Natalie slipped her arms around her waist and looked up at her curiously, a mixture of wonder and caution in her eyes. "So what do you want to do now?"

Olivia felt a vulnerable feeling start to creep up on her. She cleared her throat and put on an air of smugness to hide it, but Natalie saw it. She didn't question it, but instead, stroked Olivia's shoulder with gentle fingertips. It seemed as if the other woman wasn't used to this either.

"Another round in five minutes?"

Natalie grinned. "I would absolutely like that."


	8. Officially Dating

~O~

**Officially Dating**

Olivia was snoring beside her.

Natalie awoke that morning, blinking at the sunlight shining through the window nearest the bed. She stretched, yawned and rubbed her eyes before looking over at Olivia, who was still sound asleep. Natalie smiled at her and sat up, looking down at the little dark marks left on her thighs where Olivia had spent quite a bit of time holding her tightly. She didn't mind it. It was a nice reminder of the fun they had last night.

Her movement awoke Olivia then and the other woman blinked sleepily before looking up at her.

"Hi." Natalie said.

"Hey." Olivia replied, with a half-smile, "What time is it? Oh, wait a second."

She waved her hand and the wall near them lit up with the time in bright neon-violet colors. It displayed the time: nine-thirty two. That was a lot later than either one of them had ever slept. Natalie didn't seemed to be bothered by it and just laughed softly.

"Slept late." she said.

"Yeah. Me too."

She looked at Natalie, studying her naked form before she smirked. "Heh. That's a nice sight to wake up to."

Natalie blushed at the remark, grinned and laughed. It felt a little awkward between them, for some reason. But Natalie decided to distract themselves from it by offering breakfast.

"Are you hungry?" she asked.

"Kind of, yeah." Olivia replied, with a small smile.

"I can make us a little something." Natalie stood up, gathered her clothes. "I should wash up first, I'm a bit sweaty."

Olivia laughed softly and winked at her. "Yeah, that's my fault."

"It was, but I'm not going to complain." Natalie seemed a bit awkward as well with the newest change between them, but she put on her own air of humor. She looked around. "Where is your bathroom, anyway?"

"Down the hall on the left."

"Thank you."

And that was that. Natalie disappeared down the hall and Olivia spent a moment laying in bed before she reached at her table nearby, retrieving the little watch that Natalie had given her. She studied it for a moment, murmured an amused noise. She still had no reason to use it yet.

Still. Either way, she'd keep it on hand.

O

Something smelled good when Olivia walked into the room.

Seeing Natalie there over her kitchen sink, washing her hands and cleaning up. She was wearing her button shirt with her trousers. A few buttons remained undone and her hair was nicely combed. She adjusted the glasses on her face once before smiling over at Olivia.

"Ah, just in time," she told her. "I've made a little bit of eggs, sausage and bread for us."

Olivia murmured a bit and walked up, putting her arms around her and sharing a kiss with the other woman. It was nice and chaste until Olivia attempted to sneak her hand through the unbuttoned shirt. Natalie squirmed pleasantly and parted, laughing breathlessly. She didn't want to stop her, but she had to be ready for her job today, regardless of how much time she'd rather spend in bed with the other woman.

"Don't you dare get me going again." she hissed, "I have work today."

Olivia pouted. "Aww, too bad. I could always go for seconds." she teased.

Natalie grinned, shaking her head. She looked down at the food she'd prepared. "Perhaps after tonight. I have breakfast made. I hope you're still hungry."

Olivia smiled her approval. "Cool. Yeah, thanks, Nat." She took a seat at a nearby table where she kept her broken translocators. "Where'd you get that stuff anyway? I don't have anything like that in my fridge."

"I went into town quick and bought a few things." Natalie replied, gathering a plate of food and setting it down in front of Olivia. She had her own plate in the other hand. "I'm not the best cook there is, but I learned how to make quick meals for my mother."

Olivia shrugged with a murmur before she began to wolf down the food in front of her. Natalie laughed softly, watching her eat for a moment.

"_Baie lekker_," she said, with another chuckle.

"It's not bad," Olivia replied, with a mouthful of food.

Natalie raised an eyebrow. It sounded like a compliment to her, so she accepted it. "Alright. I'll take that."

Olivia looked down at her Comm-Link sitting on the table, toyed with it a few times; then, she smirked and looked at her. "You already did. Five times."

A blush lit Natalie's face now. "You counted?"

"Couldn't help it. I'm a numbers kinda girl, after all."

Natalie made a face, but couldn't resist the grin regardless. Olivia's Comm-Link went off and she sighed, picked it up and placed it onto her ear.

"Yeah?" she said. A small pause and she furrowed her brow at the voice on the other end. "When?" Another pause and she sighed, rolling her eyes, annoyed by whoever was talking to her. "UGH, can't Gabe just do it? I'm in the middle of something right now. He's in and out in, like, five seconds anyway."

Natalie frowned now, mouthing "What's wrong?"

Olivia held up a finger to quiet her while she listened to the voice on the other end. She continued making faces, rolling her eyes and moving her hand like a talking mouth in the process, earning a chuckle from Natalie.

"Where is it? ... Santiago. Right. Well, he's the _pendejo _who ran off, why don't we send our..." Olivia grimaced now, making a face before she held up one hand. "Fine. Fine, I'll go. I'm telling you, it's a waste of time."

She huffed, plucked the Comm-Link from her ear before setting it down on the table. Natalie looked at her curiously and Olivia rolled her eyes with dismay.

"I have a job I need to do," she told her. "Boss wants me in South America."

"Oh." Natalie shrugged her shoulders. She wasn't upset about that. It was expected, really. "That's alright, don't worry. We can both go to base and I can see you off."

"I'm telling you, it's a waste of time." Olivia made a face. "All they need to do is send Gabe in there. I got other things I can be doing."

"Yes, but they don't have a hacker with your skills."

"True."

"Ah, we could always plan something afterwards," Natalie offered, with a small smile, "That is, if you'd like to."

Olivia returned the smile. "Yeah?"

Natalie tapped her fork against the plate before stirring her eggs with it. "I'd have a few inventions to work on, of course, but I'll be free then."

"So..." Olivia pressed her with a look. It felt a little awkward for her, but she shrugged it off and played it cool. "Is it...kinda official then?"

Natalie chuckled, lowering her eyes. She felt suddenly shy. "I mean, if that's what you'd want."

"I guess a night of fucking didn't prove that enough?"

Natalie was taking a drink before she nearly choked on it. Laughing, she wiped her mouth with one hand before nodding her head. She knew that the other woman was just playing it off to keep herself relaxed. After all, neither one of them expected it to head the way it did. But neither one of them had a single complaint, really.

"Fair point." she admitted.

Olivia laughed a little. She tapped her fingers, cleared her throat before standing, picking up her plate. She started to walk away with it and Natalie looked at her, confused.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Gonna eat and run, you coming?" Olivia yelled back at her.

"Going to - Wait, hold on!" Natalie hurried to get her coat and followed behind her.

O

Once they arrived at the base, Olivia was preparing for her trip while Baptiste loaded up weaponry into the ship. He glanced over at her, noticed the way she smiled and hummed to herself. He chuckled and tilted his head, setting a crate down before turning his attention to her.

"Hm, someone's in a good mood today," he said.

Olivia shrugged her shoulders, playing it off. "Yeah, I guess so."

"I take it you hit it off with Natalie well, then?"

Olivia furrowed her brow, shaking her head. "Something like that."

"I can tell." Baptiste pointed at his own neck and snickered.

Olivia looked confused before she turned to a reflective surface in the drop-ship. She pulled her collar down slightly and her eyes widened when she saw a little bruise on her neck. She scoffed in disbelief and Baptiste crowed with laughter and slapped his thighs.

"Nat!" Olivia growled, walking away to find her.

The other woman was in the corridors, murmuring to herself and scrolling through a holographic readout of data from her wrist when she saw Olivia walking up to her.

"Hey, Nat!" Olivia called.

"Oh!" Natalie smiled when she saw her. "I was just on my way to the hangar. Is everything alright?"

Olivia pulled down her collar, pointing at the little bruise there. "A hickey? Really?" she said, making a face. "What are you, fourteen?"

Natalie leaned her head to one side to look. "It was an accident." she replied, a giggle in her voice.

"You trying to brand me or what?" Olivia quipped.

Natalie couldn't help but laugh a little more. "I'm sorry. No more hickeys then." she assured her. She looked down at her data before she seemed to think about something. "I received a report from Pierre about my turrets and their function at his estate."

"Huh? What'd he say?"

"He says he loves them. He wants more to be made. But..."

Olivia frowned at the tone change. "But what?"

"Something feels...strange about it," Natalie told her, "I can't quite put my finger on it, but he's asking for more almost every day. What would a single man want with them?"

"I guess that's for the boss to figure out," Olivia shrugged her shoulders. "Anyway, I gotta go. So, uh..." She smiled a little. "Catch you later?"

Natalie nodded and they shared a brief kiss. "Be safe."

"Always." Olivia sauntered off with a grin.

O

Rodrigo and Carlos ran as fast as they could through the ruins.

Talon troopers had been giving chase the entire time on foot; but it was Olivia who had followed behind them at a much slower pace, bored out of her mind with the chase. Baptiste was walking at her side and he looked down, watching her scrolling through a database of various information. She was entirely too calm during the whole thing, even for her.

"Hmm," she murmured, thoughtfully, "No records of delivery listed in any of his computers. They could be hiding it somewhere else. Oh!" She brought up an image of a few miniatures lined up now. "Nat wants these. I'm gonna get them for her. They look okay?"

"You want to spend money on those?"

"Who said I was spending money?" Olivia asked, with a snort and chuckle. "_Mierda_. No one should ever spend actual money on those ugly things. It's ridiculous how much Nat goes nuts for them."

Baptiste grinned and shook his head. "You should stay focused on the mission, first."

"Huh?" Olivia looked ahead of her before she waved a bored hand in the air. "Oh, they're not getting away. Don't worry about it. I have a trap I set up before we even got here."

"Really?" Baptiste looked interested. "What kind of trap?"

They looked up at the sounds of angry, Portuguese shouting as well as several Talon troopers; running up to the scene, Olivia smirked with pride at the sight of the two men locked in their own truck. It was covered in ribbons of Olivia's signature purple, having been hacked by her very hand. They were desperately slapping the glass, kicking it in an effort to be free. The troopers surrounded the vehicle, weapons aimed at the two men.

"Told you," Olivia said, looking at Baptiste, "Easy."

She walked up to the door where Rodrigo was sitting; an older man with peach-fuzz stubble, grayed hair and camouflage clothing. He had a scar over his right eyebrow and lip.

She knocked once on the window before grinning at him triumphantly. "Gotcha."

O

Rodrigo was hanging from the ceiling, wrapped in chain around his entire body. Olivia walked into the warehouse, humming to herself before she looked back at a Talon trooper standing watch.

"So, I was thinking I'd go out to a nice, classy place," she told him, "I mean, it's not like I'm paying or anything, but - "

"FUCK YOU, YOU FUCKING PSYCHOPATH!" Rodrigo suddenly shrieked down at her.

Olivia sighed, reached behind her and pulled out her machine pistol, loading the magazine with a simple pull before she pressed the barrel into his head. It drew a frightened whimper from him and Olivia raised an eyebrow.

"What did you say, Rodrigo?" she asked, calmly.

"N-Nothing!" he stammered, "Nothing!"

"Yeah, I thought so." Olivia set her weapon back onto her belt before she brought up a holographic readout of data. "So, uh, your buddy Carlos is being picked away at by my friend. So I'm just gonna talk to you, yeah? Like, where's the boss' shipments going to?"

Rodrigo shook his head frantically. "I told you, I don't know!"

"Yeah, they always say that, don't they?" Olivia chuckled, "But I have my ways of finding out sooner or later. You know that, don't you, _amigo_?"

Rodrigo nodded his head with a helpless sound.

"Sooo..." Olivia paced around him, making grand gestures with her hands. "You know it would make it easier if you tell me where the shipments are going. Boss knows someone's stealing from him. And better me than him, right?"

Rodrigo seemed to think about something for a moment. "I - I only have the shipping papers. I wrote everything down." he stammered. "I was told to. They're in my office."

Olivia looked back at the trooper, snapped her fingers at him and gestured for him to leave and deliver the news. She then turned her attention back to Rodrigo and sneered.

"Mm, so that's why I couldn't find the information in the databases," she said, "You hid them off your computer. Heh, not smart either way. So we can wait and see what we find."

While they waited, Rodrigo continued to hang there, mumbling miserably in fragments of Portuguese. He glanced up then, eyes widening when a spider began to crawl on his cheek. He yelped, trying to blow it off from the corner of his mouth.

"Ah! Spider!" he cried, "Get it, please! Get it, get it, get it!"

Olivia rushed back up to him, plucked it from his nose. She grinned triumphantly, held it up in the air. "I got it!"

"Thank you..." Rodrigo groaned.

"You're welcome!" Olivia called back, rushing off.

The Talon trooper approached her, held up the wrinkled, water-stained documents in question. "They found these in his office." he explained, "No mention of a name, but he's been changing the shipping roster and sending weaponry to an outside source."

"Hm, boss won't be happy about it, that's for sure." Olivia took the papers, studied them for a moment before she walked up to Rodrigo. "So, who are you sending these shipments to?"

"I wasn't given a name!" he told her, "I was just paid a lot of money and told not to ask questions. I think it's someone in the circle, but I don't know!"

Olivia murmured thoughtfully. "Huh. Hold up." She brought up her Comm-Link and spoke into it, sighing once. "Yeah, he's telling me everything..." She shrugged and rolled her eyes. "I don't know. Says it's probably someone in the ranks, but he was paid to keep quiet."

Rodrigo paled when Olivia looked at him with a broad, satisfied grin. It wasn't a good sign.

"Okay, you got it." she said.

She ended the communication between whoever was on the other end before aiming her gun at Rodrigo and firing right through his chest. He twitched once, choking out a sound before stilling. The Talon trooper looked at her and she smiled, sighing with relief.

"Okay, so can we go now? I have plans tonight."

"What about the other one? Uh, Carlos?"

Olivia groaned impatiently, rolling her eyes before setting the Comm right back into her ear. "Hey, so what about Carlos?" A pause and she raised her eyebrows. "Him too? Okay."

She ended the conversation, shrugged her shoulders and made her way outside to do what needed to be done.

Once she was outside, a series of gunshots went off and she quickly caught herself in the protective barrier from the watch Natalie had given her. Carlos was standing behind an overturned car, clutching an assault rifle in hand and covered in blood.

Olivia looked down at her body, watching the barrier fade away for a few seconds before she frowned at him. "Itchy trigger finger you got there," she said. "You have any idea how rude that was?"

"Shut the FUCK UP, _CONA_!" Carlos spat. "Drop your weapon or the next time, I'm not missing!"

"Oh yeah?" Olivia challenged. "You're gonna shoot me?"

"I WILL!"

"Then shoot! But you better not miss this time." Olivia hissed, with a grin. "Or you're gonna - "

Carlos' eyes widened in horror mere seconds before a gunshot went off. His shoulder became quickly soaked in blood and he collapsed, revealing Baptiste standing behind him, his lip bloodied and forehead soaked. Olivia raised her eyebrows at his condition.

"What happened to you?" she asked.

"He snuck up behind me." Baptiste said, annoyed. "I chased him down before he could run."

"Huh." Olivia looked down at Carlos' lifeless body with amusement. "Well, it only got him so far. _Idiota_." She studied her watch now with approval. "Good to see Nat's little toy works."

"You have to thank her for that one."

Olivia chuckled, thinking about the other woman for a second. "Yeah..." She caught Baptiste's funny smile now and scowled, embarrassed. "What?"

"Nothing." He grinned and walked away.

O

Natalie had her back to her.

Olivia smirked, cloaked herself and crept up behind the other woman as she worked on cleaning her work station. She was going to give her a little scare; she raised her hands, opened her mouth and -

"Don't even think about it." Natalie said, dryly.

Olivia reappeared, her eyes wide with surprise. She leaned against the table and looked at Natalie. "How'd you know I was in here?"

"You unlocked my door again." Natalie replied, a smile on her face. "No one can unlock that but me. And now you, apparently."

Olivia grinned and shrugged her shoulders. "Someone needs a better lock, then."

Natalie didn't disagree with her.

"Oh, your watch worked." Olivia said, holding up her wrist to show the device in question.

"It did?" Natalie lit up at the news. "I'm glad to hear - Wait, why did you have to use it?"

She looked worried and Olivia just laughed, waving her off with one hand. "Don't worry, Nat. It's not a big deal." she assured her, "Just some _pendejo _with an itchy trigger finger. Didn't end well for him, though."

Natalie was a little relieved to hear that. She took Olivia's wrist in hand, studied the watch with a smile. "I'm glad it worked."

The two continued to talk and laugh when Dante passed by. He paused, glanced into the room with a disappointed look on his face. Baptiste walked by, caught the stare and patted his shoulder once.

"Sorry," he said, "Let me buy you a drink."

"...another word you could say is, '_jy's beeldskoon_'," Natalie was in the middle of explaining, "Which I guess is directly translated to 'statue clean'. Kind of."

"Anything else?"

"Um...well, there's 'my treasure'," Natalie smiled humorously. "But it sounds awful."

Olivia shrugged. "What's it sound like?"

"_My skat_."

Olivia made a face, as if she tasted something sour. "Sounds like you're talking about shit."

"It does." Natalie laughed.

Olivia was silent for a moment, contemplating something. "So, uh... we got the day free then, yeah?"

"We do."

The two shared a look for another long moment. Olivia raised an eyebrow and Natalie's eyes darkened with interest. A smile played at the corners of her lips.

O

Heavy breathing.

Lascivious moans filled with pleasure, accompanied by expletives in snippets of English and their native tongues.

Olivia didn't mind this at all, really; spending time in bed watching Natalie on top of her, driving herself to completion on her now favorite toy. It made her smirk breathlessly, cupping Natalie's breasts and giving her hardened nipples extra attention with her thumbs; an act that Natalie certainly appreciated given the lidded stare and smile on her face.

When she freed one hand to rub her thumb against Natalie's clit in time with the movements of her hips, the other woman absolutely appreciated the act and lost all focus; she doubled over with a breathless sound of her name before stiffening as she came.

Oh, how she almost wished it had been her real name.

Olivia's chest felt hot and sweaty and Natalie gave it a few kisses, tasting the salt of it on her lips. The other woman was hissing softly, twitching her hips as she worked herself to her own finish.

"N-Nat, help me out here..." she growled out.

Natalie certainly didn't argue with that rough request. Olivia's movements were faster, more erratic and Natalie helped her along by nipping at her throat, rocking her own hips and finally, Olivia let out a thick groan as she came with a soft "fuck" under her breath.

Natalie smiled and they shared a lazy kiss before parting to look at one another. Olivia's smug smile was back and she chuckled.

"Heh, you came pretty quick that time." she teased. "Or I'm just that good."

Natalie leaned her chin into Olivia's chest with a contented murmur. "Can't it be both?"

Olivia grinned, crowing with laughter in response. She wiggled her hips a little, reached down to remove the toy from between her legs and set it on the night stand nearby. She would take care of that tomorrow.

"You know, we've known each other for a long time," Natalie began, lightly tracing the hot, sweaty skin of Olivia's chest with two fingertips. "I don't even know your real name."

Olivia's smile disappeared a little. "Well, I don't really just give that information out to anyone."

"Oh." Natalie seemed a little disappointed. "I see."

Olivia caught the look as the other woman sighed gently through her nose. She seemed to be bothered for a few seconds by the idea, then smiled and shook her head before closing her eyes. Maybe she accepted it a little better than she had thought. Or maybe she was too comfortable to argue with her, especially after they'd spent hours in bed fucking each other. It was always hard to do much arguing after that.

It wasn't easy for Olivia to do; she had to keep her name hidden and no one could know the woman she used to be. She was Sombra and that wasn't going to change. Not even for Natalie.

"Maybe some day." Natalie replied, kissing her cheek before she eventually went to sleep.

O

_Note _\- I always liked Embeth Davidtz as a voice for Natalie.


	9. Serpiente

~O~

**Serpiente**

Venice had been decorated nicely for Christmas, which was to come in only three more days. People filled the streets, carrying wrapped presents as they went about their daily routine. Olivia and Baptiste wandered the streets as well, dressed for the colder weather, glancing over several shops.

"So...Christmas, huh?" Baptiste mused. "Anything special you two have planned?"

Olivia shrugged her shoulders. "Not sure yet." She waved a hand in the air. "I don't do the holidays, you know. But I'm sure Nat might. She's always thumbs up about this kind of stuff."

"I'm glad you have someone, Sombra."

Olivia rolled her eyes and started to argue with him, protest about how sappy he was being about it; but Baptiste was serious, smiling at her.

"No, really. It's nice to see you found someone who cares about you," he continued, "And I know she does. All she talks about is you in the workshop."

Olivia murmured thoughtfully, a little put on the spot by the conversation. She shifted on her heels and laughed somewhat, looking at the man inquisitively. She couldn't help liking the idea.

"Yeah?" she said.

"Yeah. Trust me. She's a good one."

It wasn't until Natalie emerged from one of the shops, in bright, cheerful spirits; she was dressed warmly in a large black trench-coat.

Before Olivia could talk to her, Natalie put her arms around the woman and kissed her cheek, spinning around with her for a few moments while Olivia uttered a few surprised words in Spanish. Baptiste just grinned as he watched them.

"Hello, _my liefling_!" Natalie said, setting her down properly after a few more moments of spinning. "It's such a wonderful day, isn't it?"

Olivia and Baptiste glanced at each other, confused by this change in behavior.

"Whatever you're taking, I wouldn't mind some of it." Baptiste joked.

Natalie scoffed. "Really? Why is it when I'm very happy, you think I'm taking drugs?" she laughed, "It's almost Christmas. I LOVE Christmas! Doesn't everyone?"

Olivia let out a little guffaw and Baptiste just chuckled, shaking his head.

"Didn't I tell you?" Olivia quipped, to him.

"Well, I guess we can all do for a little holiday cheer, huh?" Baptiste agreed.

"That we do." Natalie nodded her head. Then, her humor disappeared and her eyes clouded over in thought. "But there is one thing I should do before that. I want to pay a visit to my mother's grave."

The two lost their smiles then. "Oh." they said together.

O

She didn't say anything for a moment and just watched as Natalie placed a little toy duck on the grave.

The old ruins of her home in De Aar had been left as nothing more than a brick foundation; there was a grave where a statue had been placed for Natalie's mother, made of fine marble. No expense was spared for it, it seemed. Olivia knew that Natalie had made certain of that.

"_Geseënde Kersfees_." Natalie said, quietly.

Olivia looked down at the grave and said nothing for another moment before glancing at her. "Yeah, it looks like they did good, huh?"

"They did do a pretty good job of it. I'm happy that she can find rest here." Natalie smiled sadly. She looked at Olivia. "I hope you found peace with yours as well this holiday season."

Olivia smiled somewhat, but shrugged. "Wouldn't really be possible. Mine died when I was a kid in the Omnic Crisis."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Natalie's brow pinched with sympathy.

"Nah." Olivia waved it off, emotionless, "I was too young to remember them anyway." She thought about that, how the memories had faded with time, how she had no connection to them any more. It was the past and the girl she had been had faded away. "Besides, it was a long time ago. No point in thinking about it now when there's work to be done."

"I suppose that's true." Natalie agreed.

Then, the sounds of approaching footsteps turned their attention to an older man walking up to them; he was wearing a black trench-coat, brown fedora and he also had a prosthetic leg. Olivia smiled when she saw him. She knew by the look alone that this man was the one and only Desmond Krige.

He had the same eyes as Natalie.

"Nat?" he said, with a surprised smile. "Is it really you?"

Natalie looked shocked for a second before her eyes darkened considerably. Desmond looked uncomfortable now, facing his daughter. He clearly knew to expect that the meeting wouldn't be particularly pleasant between them. Olivia stared at her with interest and Natalie's gaze softened to an impassive stare after a moment. She turned her attention back to the grave.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, surprisingly calm.

Desmond looked at the grave as well. "I had heard the news that Sasha had passed not long ago. I...I thought I'd come to visit."

Natalie chuckled cynically. She didn't look at him. "Mmm, returned home? It took you only twenty years."

"I know." Desmond shut his eyes, flinching at her tone. "I wanted to see it again. I'd hope you'd be here so that I could make amends for what I've done. I'm so sorry for what I've cause the family."

"Sorry?" Natalie's smile was as frigid as the air around them as she turned completely to look at him. "I was alone with my mother when the attack hit us that night. I carried her by myself through miles of broken rubble, blood, and dust. My feet are scarred from that day. And you're sorry."

Desmond lowered his head. He didn't speak.

"I had to care for my mother while I was still a child. I had to sell little toys at the age of twelve to earn enough to feed us. And you're sorry." Natalie approached him, staring at the man with contempt. Her face was inches from his, looking him up and down. "What sort of man abandons his wife and child to the mercy of the Omnics?"

"I-I was scared." Desmond stammered, refusing to look up at her.

"I was a child," Natalie whispered, unsympathetically. "And YOU were afraid?"

Olivia spoke now with a grin on her face. She eyed the man up and down. "A crippled, scared little _rata_. What a reputation to leave behind."

Desmond nodded his head, eyes misty. "I know... I know I do not deserve forgiveness for what I've done to you and Sasha," he continued, voice trembling, "I know I can never say or do anything to make it right again. But I came here hoping there was a chance to say how sorry I am for it."

Natalie stared at him, her tone unwavering. "You abandoned us and mother is dead." Her eyes hardened. "I want nothing to do with you."

"Natalie, please..." Desmond pleaded, reaching for her when she started to walk away.

Natalie slipped her arm around Olivia's and the pair walked away together, leaving him alone. Olivia looked at Natalie and elbowed her once.

"Come on, Nat." she encouraged. "Don't you want to tell him how you really feel? Don't you want to give the guy all that rage?"

Natalie laughed weakly. "I don't have a lot of rage." she told her. She sighed heavily through her nose, looked down before meeting her eyes again. She didn't look back at her father. "I'm just sad."

"Huh. Well I know what can change that." Olivia grinned toothily at her.

Natalie smiled now. "What?"

She reached into her pocket with a grunt, rooting around before she pulled out her enclosed fist. "I, uh, managed to snatch this for you before the holidays..." She held out her hand to Natalie, revealing a tiny, miniature mouse made of bronze with a little Christmas hat on it. "_Feliz Navidad_."

Natalie brightened and took the gift. "Thank you! It's adorable!"

"I stole it all for you." Olivia said, with a wink and a kiss on her cheek.

"I needed a mouse for my collection."

Olivia chuckled. "Just sayin'. I know my girl."

"And yet I know so little about you," Natalie replied.

Olivia's smile disappeared somewhat. She opened her mouth to talk, but Natalie interrupted with a sigh.

"But I understand." she continued, smiling sadly. "That's how you are. I shouldn't ask for you to change it."

She was clearly unhappy with it and Olivia, in part, understood a little bit. It was the first time someone wanted to know her so well in a genuinely good way. But Olivia couldn't just let herself confess everything to Natalie; it wasn't her way. Natalie had to understand.

"How did my father know to find me here?" Natalie wondered. She looked at Olivia curiously. "Was it you?"

Olivia chuckled, shaking her head. "Hey, I'd like to take all the credit, but it wasn't me this time _chulita_."

Natalie considered something before her brow knotted. "Interesting..."

She said nothing more, but she thought about it for the remainder of the day.

Once they returned home, Olivia was sitting in bed while Natalie read a book. She looked toward the other woman before looking at her feet. Natalie didn't notice what she had been doing until she felt fingertips at her toes. She gave a small sound and looked down at Olivia, watching her with a mixture of amusement and confusion.

"Uh, what's with the sudden fascination with my feet?" she asked.

Olivia ran her fingers over the heel of Natalie's foot. She could see the rough, white patches of skin that confirmed what she had told her father. Olivia glanced up at her with a half smile.

"You really did walk all that way?" she asked.

Natalie nodded her head, focused on her book now. "I did. I didn't have shoes then, so..." She trailed off in thought, glanced up and shut her eyes before clearing her throat. "It's fine. I'd rather not discuss it."

"Cool by me." Olivia replied, shrugging her shoulders.

She sat up, leaned against her and Natalie murmured contentedly, leaning her head against Olivia's as she focused on her book and Olivia her research. Natalie was still deep in thought about her father. It distracted her the rest of the night.

O

Akande walked into Natalie's workshop when she returned. She had been wrapping something in colorful paper and listening to Elvis Presley on her radio. "A Little Less Conversation" played and she mouthed along with the lyrics, before noticing him.

"Ah!" she said, looking quite surprised. "Akande, it's good to see you."

He smiled and nodded. "Do you have a moment to talk, Natalie?"

"I do. Just...let me turn this off." Natalie quickly shut the radio off and took a seat at her station. Akande sat down in a chair across from her. "Is something wrong?"

"Well, yes." Akande replied, clasping his hands together. "It's a pressing matter. I have a bit of news regarding the shipments of weaponry that have disappeared over the passed few weeks."

Natalie blinked, astonished to hear that. "Stolen?"

"We believe so."

Natalie frowned, ran her hands over her knees. "Who would steal from you?"

Akande considered something. "I don't know. But we believe it's someone in our inner circle." he explained. "Someone with access to these shipments had to have the means to do this."

Natalie didn't answer. In truth, she wasn't sure who would have easy access to them.

"Tell me, Natalie," Akande continued. "Has Pierre ever discussed why he got into this business?"

Natalie thought about it. "Well, no. He rarely discussed much of his personal life with me. His friends liked to talk, but he usually seemed about business. I assumed he wanted to join you as the money seemed most important to him."

Akande chuckled, nodding. "Yes. He always was a private man." He was silent again and his smile thinned a little. "Not to sound entirely cold blooded, Natalie; but I am leading a mission to light the flames of the new order. I cannot afford any setbacks."

"Of course." Natalie nodded her head.

"I know you sided with us to provide for your family. I want to know that with your mother passing, you continue to work for us." Akande spoke warmly, but his words carried a thinly veiled warning. "If Pierre or any one of his friends say something to you or you hear something, I want your assurance that you will come straight to me. Understood?"

Natalie once more, nodded her head. "I will. You have my word, Akande."

He smiled once more. "Thank you, Natalie. I know you can be trusted."

He rose, left the room without another word. Amélie was waiting for him out in the corridors with Gabriel. Akande regarded them with a small, thoughtful frown.

"She wouldn't." he said.

"How do you know?" Gabriel questioned.

"Natalie has nothing to gain from betraying me," Akande explained.

"And nothing to lose, either." Amélie pointed out.

Akande looked over at Natalie as she left the room, holding the wrapped package with a happy smile on her face. He chuckled, knowing exactly what was happening. No, Natalie wasn't a fool. She was much too careful about what she did with Talon.

"I don't know about that."

"I can tail her, just in case." Gabriel offered.

"No. Not yet, anyway."

O

Calaveras was full that evening.

Natalie admired a lot of the decorations that were hanging on the walls and bar. Sergio was in the corner of the bar, yelling at Luis in Spanish. When he saw Natalie walk up to the counter, he smiled and greeted her.

"_Holá_, Natalie!" he said. "What brings you here?"

"I was looking for Sombra." Natalie told him. "I have a present I'd like to give her. Has she been here?"

Sergio nodded his head. "She's doing a job. She usually won't pick up her Comm while she's working." Off of Natalie's understanding nod, he continued. "You could wait here. She stops by at the exact time every night. Which should be in an hour."

"Okay. Thank you." Natalie took a seat at the bar and set the present down.

Sergio looked at it with a smile. "I'm glad she has someone like you." he said. "Better than the last one. I actually like you."

"Last one?"

"Mm-hm," Sergio told her, "Ahh, her name was...um...Liza, I think. She gave Sombra her grafts and they had a thing going for a short time. But...eh..." He made a face. "It ended on a bad note."

"How so?" Natalie was genuinely interested.

Sergio shrugged his shoulders. "Sombra's a private person, you know that. I just know what I heard from her Los Muertos friends. I think she wanted more from Liza but ended up being laughed at and brushed it off. Said it was just nothing more. So she's kinda emotionally shut out from everyone."

Natalie murmured thoughtfully and sat there in silence, thinking about what he'd said. It was strange, but it did explain at least a little bit. It made sense why Olivia was a bit jumpy when Natalie suggested wanting to pleasure her; she had often said she liked giving Natalie more - which the other woman absolutely appreciated. But she was the only one with most to show for it.

Olivia wanted to stay in control not just because it was easy, but because she didn't want to lose that control again.

"I see. Thank you for telling me, Sergio." Natalie finally said.

After a few moments of waiting, Olivia did, in fact, enter the bar as scheduled and put her arms around Natalie. "_Me extrañaste_?" she queried.

Natalie smiled, turning in her seat to properly face her. "I have something for you." she told her. "A present. I would have given it to you earlier, but it wasn't done yet."

Olivia lit up at the thought. "Ooh! Let me see!"

Natalie handed her the tiny package and Olivia eagerly tore into it. She reached into the box, removed a small charm and studied it with a murmur of curiosity. There was her signature skull on the tiny charm and she took a moment to look at it before glancing up at Natalie.

"It's cute. But what's it for?" she asked.

"I don't just give gifts without giving them something special. It's like, giving a toy without batteries." Natalie told her, grinning. "It's cute, yes. But it also functions as a communication device. The range is longer, so you can speak and hear clearly into it. There's also a short wave scrambling device built in that can short out anything electronic."

Olivia raised her eyebrows before she grinned. "Aww, you like to spoil me with new toys, don't you, Nat?"

"Mostly toys that keep you safe."

"You really do worry about me?"

Natalie was bemused by the flicker of surprise on Olivia's face. "Of course I worry about you, _my liewe_. _My hart gaan uit na jou toe_."

Olivia smiled and let out a soft, gentle laugh; not like her usual, amused chuckles when she found something particularly fun or naughty to do. Sergio had been watching them with a smile of his own.

O

Natalie ran her fingertips over the graft in Olivia's spine while the other woman was focused on a holographic projection in front of her. The pair were in her bed that evening, relaxing together. So many interesting markings in her back and Natalie was intrigued by them.

"Did they hurt?" Natalie asked.

"Nah. The ones on my head did, though." Olivia pointed at the bands on the back of her head. "Hurt like a _puta_. For days."

Natalie spent a few more minutes studying the grafts in silence. She just traced each one and the sensation was kind of nice.

"You like what you're looking at back there?" Olivia quipped, a smile in her voice. She paused, lifted her head before looking back at Natalie now. "Doesn't weird you out too much, does it?"

"No, of course not." Natalie frowned at her, perplexed. "Since when have you worried what others think?"

"I don't."

"Then why ask me?"

Olivia sighed, shaking her head. "Nevermind."

Natalie kissed her cheek now, looking at her with concern. "Are you sure? Something on your mind?"

Olivia made a face. "Something like that, I guess."

"What is it? You can tell me."

Olivia didn't answer and Natalie sighed softly, leaning away now. "Alright." she replied, her voice disappointed, "You don't have to."

Olivia rolled over now, caught the look and laughed quietly. "Hey, Nat. Hey." She pressed when the other woman didn't look at her. She put her arms around Natalie's waist. "Sorry. Guess that job was just rough. You know how it is, yeah?"

Natalie seemed acquiesced by that. She nodded. "I understand. I did have more work to do than usual to." she agreed. "But it's the holidays. I hope we can forget about work tonight."

"Yeah." Olivia looked distracted, but smiled and nodded anyway. "You got it."

_Earlier_

_Olivia and Amélie waited for Gabriel outside of the casino. Olivia had been talking the other woman's ear off non-stop about how bad the mission on Volskaya had gone once Amélie had commented about the failure to kill Katya. Olivia's jokes had gone on for a good fifteen minutes before Amélie laughed softly._

_It was a cold, derisive laugh that made Olivia raise an eyebrow. "Oh, what's so funny, spider?"_

_"You are." Amélie sneered, leering down at her. "Even if I can't feel a thing, I can see what a joke you are."_

_Olivia looked bored, moving her hand like a talking mouth. "Any other harsh digs?"_

_"Yes. One in particular," Amélie told her, turning completely to face her. "Akande knows someone is stealing from him. He knows shipments of weaponry are being sent elsewhere. He doesn't say it, but he suspects Natalie is the cause of that."_

_Olivia's smile thinned before she rolled her eyes. "She can't be. She's with me all the time."_

_"And that's the funny part." Amélie's grin was colder. "Why is it when she comes along, this starts to happen? Hmm, or maybe she just likes jokes too. After all, look what she's with." She eyed Olivia up and down with that same cruel smile on her face. "Keep an eye on her. She could be stringing us all along."_

_She sauntered away, leaving Olivia there in annoyed disbelief. She scoffed, rolled her eyes before looking down at the watch on her wrist. Her annoyed look disappeared slightly. _

"...I had a miniature mouse when I was a child," Natalie was talking and it snapped Olivia out of her reverie. "It was my favorite toy."

Olivia smiled a little, making a funny face. "Well, I had a stuffed bear named Arturito when I was little."

A giggle from the other woman. "Really?"

"Yeah. You can't tell anyone about that. I know where you live." Olivia teased, with a grin on her face now.

The two women shared a laugh and Natalie laid back on the bed. Olivia eventually joined her and Natalie looked up at her, brushing her fingers against Olivia's cheek. She murmured contentedly and leaned against Natalie's chest, closing her eyes.

"So what happened to Arturito?" Natalie asked.

"Huh? Why?" The question was weird.

"Just wondering."

"Um..." Olivia licked her lips thoughtfully before she shrugged. "A fire at the orphanage, I think. I lost him there."

"Oh." Natalie considered something before she shook her head. She didn't bring it up again. "I'm sorry."

Olivia shrugged her shoulders. "_Me hace lo que el viento a Juárez_."

"I don't know what that means," Natalie replied, with an amused snort. She pulled Olivia closer to kiss her.

The other woman still seemed distracted, unsure about something. Natalie didn't know what it was.

O

The following day, Natalie wandered through Dorado to clear her head. She was still unsure about what was going on with Olivia; the woman was distracted, unfocused. It was unusual for her. She was also a very private person, so there was that.

Natalie paused and noticed a vendor across the street. Curious, she made her way up to it and the vendor had a few things laid out on a table; jewelry, old toys and a few other things. He was an older man who smiled when he saw her, as if relieved to see someone approach.

"_Hola, ¿cómo estás_?" he greeted. "Have you seen something you like?"

Natalie smiled. "Hello. I'm curious about what you're selling. They look cute."

"Ah, thank you." he said. "Interested in buying?"

Natalie tilted her head, studied an old, burned teddy bear with a curious murmur. "I used to sell toys when I was little. I understand the struggle." she told him. "I'd like to buy - Where did you get that bear?"

The man looked down at it. "Oh! There was an old church rummage sale many years ago. Most of what they had came from the orphanage fire." he explained. "I bought a few toys in bulk for my kids. But my kids are all grown up. So I was hoping to make at least a little."

Natalie smiled reassuringly. "I'll buy everything."

He brightened happily. "_Gracias_!" he exclaimed. "_Eres muy generoso_."

Natalie purchased everything from his stand and returned to the base in Venice where she studied the little bear beneath her magnifying glass. The fur was burned, one eye was missing and the little overalls it wore had been frayed in several ends, but nothing she couldn't fix.

She smiled as she thought of surprising Olivia with her childhood bear; it was a good gift that she had hoped would ease her clearly troubled mind.

It had been something Natalie had done before; threading and repairing clothing, fixing shoes, hats... It was something she had been taught by her mother and had to do growing up. Unable to afford much in the way of new clothes, she always did what she could to preserve what they had.

Now here she was, fixing up Olivia's childhood bear, Arturito.

She began to sing in Afrikaans to ease the silence in her workshop.

It was nice.


	10. The Wonder of You

~O~

**The Wonder of You**

The grocery store was filled with aimless chatter that morning.

Olivia sat in the cart, her arms and legs splayed out over the edge. She had a pair of headphones hanging around her neck while Natalie pushed the cart and dropped food occasionally into it on Olivia's belly.

She placed a bag of greens into the cart and Olivia plucked it out, holding it up to Natalie. "Nope, not doing that." she said.

"Yes, we _are_ doing that." Natalie chided, taking it from her hand and setting it back into the cart with her. "You need to eat better and there's a new dish I'd like to try to make for us today. We call it _potjiekos_. It's good. Trust me."

Olivia groaned long and loud. "UGH, don't tell me you're on one of those weird diet things." she griped, when Natalie turned the cart into another aisle. She held up one finger. "Sergio tried to introduce stuff like that at the bar and one of my guys threatened him with a pizza cutter."

"A pizza cutter?"

"What? It _was_ pretty funny."

She looked up at Natalie, watching the woman appear upside down in her vision. Natalie was looking at something on the shelf and paused, catching Olivia's stare. She smiled a little, leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Just try it for me, please?" Natalie said. "I'll buy you whatever you want. Deal?"

Olivia chuckled, shutting her eyes as she returned the kiss, but to Natalie's cheek. "Alright. Deal. As long as I get to eat what your mom made afterwards."

She winked and Natalie looked confused. "What? What did my mother make?"

"You."

Natalie blushed now and Olivia crowed with laughter.

O

Olivia continued to hover over Natalie while she cooked in her kitchen. Natalie was quietly singing a song in Afrikaans while she worked over a tiny pot. The smell that lingered in the air was delicious and the longer she smelled it, the more Olivia wanted to eat whatever Natalie was making.

"Usually, this is done in a kettle," Natalie explained, while she worked. "My grandmother made it for us when I was little. I don't know if my skills could compare, though."

Olivia sniffed the air. "It smells really good." she said, "Is it done yet?"

"Almost." Natalie chuckled, a bit delighted by her eagerness. "It needs to simmer for a few more minutes."

Olivia smiled. "Ah, alright. You talked it up so much on the way back here." She paused when she noticed Natalie seemed distracted, leaned a little to the side to look at her better. "Something on your mind?"

"Hm? Oh!" Natalie shook her head. "It's probably stupid."

Olivia frowned now and Natalie caught the look. She sighed, set down the spoon she'd been using to stir the food before her features clouded in thought.

"Something occurred to me when we left my mother's memorial." she told the other woman. "You said you had nothing to do with my father being there, right?"

Olivia laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "Bring back the big bad _papi _into your life? Please, even I'm not that cold."

Natalie made a bemused noise before she continued to stir the food in front of her. She didn't say anything else at first and seemed to be thinking about the whole situation. Then, she gathered a bowl beside her and poured some of the contents of the pan into it.

"After we eat, I'd like to stop in Numbani." Natalie told her, her tone changing, "I need to see Lethabo."

Olivia looked at her, catching the change. She smiled thinly, but nodded and took the bowl when it was offered. She knew what was going to happen and knew what Natalie expected. But the other woman had to handle that on her own. That was how it was.

She took a bite and Natalie's features lit up now. "Well?"

Olivia nodded her approval, murmuring between mouthfuls of food. Natalie smiled at the reaction, happy that Olivia was enjoying it. She scooped herself a bowl and began to eat. Her eyes were filled with distractions, but she was still trying to maintain a happy facade.

O

Lethabo answered the door, surprised to see Natalie standing there. She was holding a box in her hands. Outside in the hallway, Olivia was leaning against the wall, studying her fingertips. She knew what the visit meant and why Natalie had decided seeing the Omnic was important.

She could hear the conversation begin.

"Lethabo, good to see you." Natalie said, with a hollow smile. "I bought some of your favorite oil."

Lethabo sounded happy. "Ah, thank you, Natalie." He turned to enter the living room and paused, tilting his head. "To what do I owe the visit?"

Natalie had studied the Omnic with a thin smile, hands behind her back. "I wanted to talk to you, Lethabo." she told him. "See, something's been bothering me since Christmas. Something important that I had to ask you. Maybe you can help me understand better."

Lethabo stared at her. "Alright." he replied, evenly. It was as if he knew what she was going to ask.

"My father." Natalie's voice dropped only a fraction as her smile disappeared somewhat, yet her voice always stayed even as she continued speaking. "He was there at the memorial where my mother was buried." She scratched her cheek with one finger. "Now... I'm interested in the idea of how he'd know where I was at that precise time. I thought, perhaps, you could help me with that."

Lethabo lowered his head, sighing softly. He didn't have to say anything to confirm Natalie's suspicions.

"Why?" Natalie whispered, voice suddenly trembling.

"I...I thought if your family came back into your life, it would turn you away from this path you've taken, Natalie," Lethabo explained, looking at her again.

"So, you not only betrayed my trust, you thought you would make that decision for me," Natalie continued, smiling coldly now, "Then, you went behind my back, contacted a man you knew how I felt about. And that's not even the funniest part about it, Lethabo." She tilted her head. "How did you even know how to contact him when we've been out of touch all of these years?"

Lethabo hesitated briefly. "I've been in contact with him since you signed on with those people."

Olivia raised her eyebrows in disbelief and let out a little scoff of amusement to follow. "Wow..." she said, under her breath.

Natalie had been quiet for the longest time.

"How dare you," she whispered, her voice shaking with hurt and anger, "After the things I've done and what I've sacrificed to give you and my mother, how DARE you? You would do this to me? _Verraaier_."

"Natalie, please. I know it was sneaky, but Ihad the best intentions, I assure you. I had hoped that if he came back into your life, he could maybe talk you away from that place - help you even see reason. Sasha didn't see it, but those people are bad. That woman will take you down a bad path if you continue doing this! Please, leave now before you fall in too deep."

Olivia looked up sharply, ready to step into the apartment and speak to the Omnic herself before Natalie spoke, stopping her in her tracks.

"I. Won't." Natalie's voice was icy, severe and carried with it all the weight of her emotions.

Olivia made a small smile, suddenly thrilled with the answer. She had never had someone speak like that about her; care that much about her or even refuse to listen to the assumptions made.

_Amélie was wrong. _

"Natalie, think of your mother..."

"Don't you DARE bring my mother into this," Natalie's voice was acidic now. "Don't you DARE. She wanted me to be happy and I am now." She was quiet again for a moment. "But to you? Now, I am dead. We will never speak again."

Lethabo stood in silence, watching as the woman left without another word. Olivia waited for her out in the hallway and Natalie simply walked passed her, saying nothing. Furrowing her brow, Olivia followed her and Natalie simply leaned against the wall and started to cry.

Olivia sighed, sat down beside her and put her arms around the other woman. "Aww. _pobrecita_..."

While she held Natalie, she thought hard about the other woman's words she had said to Lethabo. No one had said those things before on her behalf.

It was weird, but she liked it anyway.

O

"Hey, Nat? Hey!"

Olivia was searching for Natalie after they returned to Dorado that evening. She walked the length of the fort's walls in a pair of shorts and t-shirt, relaxing after the day. She had spent a few minutes searching for Natalie, wondering where she had gone. She called for her and then heard Natalie yell from a room nearby.

"I'm in here!"

Olivia followed her voice into a room she'd used for storage with the Los Muertos. She was sitting on the floor, legs crossed with a small device in front of her; it was shaped like a Faberge egg, occasionally whirring and grinding as she prodded at it with a small, pen-shaped tool. It seemed to intrigue her a little.

"What are you up to in here?" Olivia asked, sitting beside her.

"I had to occupy myself with something when we got back," Natalie told her, quietly, "I found this little egg in my storage and brought it here to work on. I don't know. I could use it for something, I suppose."

Olivia looked around the room, laughing. "Can't believe I forgot all about this stuff." She stood up, picked up a box and opened it, studying the contents.

Natalie continued to work on the egg, listening to the occasional grunt of effort from Olivia. A muted thud, followed by a curse had her turning her attention toward the corner, where Olivia had been dragging out an enormous trunk with two hands.

"Huh? What's in there?" Natalie asked, turning where she sat.

"Don't know," Olivia replied. She grunted, hissing out. "_Mierda_, it's heavy. Help me with it, would you?"

Natalie nodded, pulling one end of the trunk while Olivia pulled the other. They opened it and Natalie was surprised to find it full of various weapons. Olivia grinned and reached in, taking hold of a plasma pistol and studying it in her hand for a moment.

"I forgot I still had these!" she said.

Natalie reached inside and removed an enormous Missile Launcher, grinning as well. Olivia laughed at her look and watched Natalie put it on her shoulder.

"I had no idea you had so many." she said.

Olivia nodded. "Yeah! These were the first weapons my gang and I took from LumériCo."

Natalie murmured thoughtfully, studying the Missile Launcher before she smiled at her. "You've gotten quite a bit of toys from your exploits. I suppose you couldn't bear to part with them?"

"Nah, it was nothing like that." Olivia explained, with a shrug. "I'm not the sentimental type, Nat. Carlos probably just stashed them here and forgot about them. As he usually did."

Natalie's mind went to what Sergio had been talking about with her regarding Liza. She wanted to ask the other woman about her, wondering what had happened. But maybe coming right out and asking wasn't the best way to do it.

"Did you always feel that way?" Natalie asked.

Olivia shrugged and shook her head. "No. Not always." she said, sitting the pistol back into the trunk.

"What changed?"

Olivia looked at her before she laughed. "Ah, you know," she replied, "People just change, Nat. Like this girl and I..." She paused, licked her lips and chuckled. "Thought it would work out. But that was before."

"I'm sorry."

"Not me. It was a long time ago."

Natalie furrowed her brow. "You don't care?"

"Nope." Olivia answered, going through the trunk. "Besides, you're here, not her. Why care about it?"

Natalie nodded her head. That made sense. "You're right."

Then, the sound of a radio nearby began to play a broadcast. Olivia tilted her head, reached over and turned the volume up. The voice of Portero filled the air.

_"It is preposterous to place any faith in records purported to have been obtained by thieves. They are complete fabrications and have no basis in reality. I have dedicated my life to my home—my country—and I have only operated with the highest levels of integrity.__I am confident that my name and the reputation of LumériCo will be cleared, that these baseless claims will be shown to be without merit, and that these criminals who have repeatedly broken the laws of our civil society will be brought to justice."_

Olivia crowed with laughter, swaying back on her ass a little. "Keep telling yourself that, _cabrón_!"

Natalie chuckled, shaking her head.

Olivia hesitated before she spoke again. Her tone was comical, but she seemed to be a bit concerned as well. "You're not gonna cry again, are you?"

A laugh from Natalie now. "No. No, I think it's fine now." She sighed and shook her head, genuinely disappointed about what had happened. "It's a shame about Lethabo, but I have to move on. I have to look to the future and have nothing drag me back to the past."

"Guess that's a way to look at it."

The two women were silent and Natalie sighed, leaning back to study the egg she had been tending to. She intended to turn it into a low frequency pulse grenade, but it didn't seem to want to work with her. Olivia leaned against her, rubbed her hands across her shoulders before she moved her lips against Natalie's ear.

"Hey, let's get back to my room." Olivia husked, with a smirk in her voice. "Maybe take a little break from that thing."

Natalie's cheeks darkened and she licked her lips once with anticipation. "Well, I could stand for a bit of a distraction, to be honest."

Olivia giggled. "I know, _Preciosa_. Don't worry, I plan to be the only thing on your mind."

O

Getting back to the room and with Olivia warming her up plenty with a kiss and a slip of her hands through Natalie's shirt; the other woman wanted to do something different for her.

She parted, smiling sweetly at Olivia. "There's something I want to try." she told her. "Well, if you'd like me to, anyway."

"Yeah? Like what?" Olivia looked VERY interested.

Natalie lowered herself to her knees in front of Olivia, then rubbed her thighs with two hands. She smiled a shy little smile before tilting her head. Olivia got the hint and glanced down, her cheeks reddening as well. She let out a small laugh and looked surprised.

"You want to?" she asked.

"Well, you've been very generous this whole time, I'd like to return the favor." Natalie let out an explosion of laughter, still so embarrassed.

Olivia still looked perplexed by the offer, almost as if no one had even asked her. She blinked once and Natalie shook her head, mistaking the silence.

"If...you want, anyway." she said.

"Yeah! Yeah, I do, just..." Olivia shifted her weight a little, "Never mind. Go ahead, Nat."

Natalie was delighted by the invitation, giving her a kiss before slipping her fingers into the waist of Olivia's shorts. Olivia helped her along by wiggling her hips so that she could remove them easier and kick them to the floor, out of sight and mind. Her breath was shallow and she gave her a grin when she watched Natalie move closer to the floor.

It was an unusual, new change to the other woman, but Natalie would ask about that later. She wanted to focus on other, more important things. Olivia leaned on her elbows for balance, watching as Natalie slid her hands up her thighs. The other woman made herself comfortable between her legs, stroking her fingertips slowly against the surface of her skin.

Olivia spread her legs wider for her, cheeks dark and lips parted. Her interest was focused on nothing else in the room but Natalie.

It had been a while since Natalie had done something like this; she took it slow and placed a few kisses along the muscles of Olivia's thigh, feeling them twitch with every contact of her lips. The heat and dampness that welcomed her was telling enough that Olivia had definitely been eager for this before they'd even gotten into the room.

Natalie smiled and instead of granting her immediate relief, she kissed the skin above the place she was sorely needed, just as the other woman had done to her before. Olivia hissed softly. She didn't want to be teased any more than she had to, but Natalie looked too good like that.

"Nat..." she breathed out, reaching down and threading her fingers through her hair. "Ah... You really wanna tease me that bad?"

A chuckle from Natalie and she looked up at her. "You don't want me to play a little more?"

Olivia let out a strained laugh in response. He reached down, cupped her cheek and rubbed her thumb against Natalie's lower lip.

"Hell, I definitely want to play more." Olivia bit out.

Natalie just smiled, continued to rub her thighs before gently sliding her tongue through the slick, hot folds of her lover. It earned a hiss above her, followed by a jump of thighs when she licked a languid path up against the bud of her clit.

"Good?" Natalie queried, pausing to look up once at Olivia.

The other woman watched her with rapt attention, nodding. "Y-Yeah. Keep going."

Natalie needed no further invitation; she leaned her face against her, passing her tongue over the warm, slick folds. Her tongue slipped inside every so often, earning a guttural, stimulated sound above her that she'd never heard before, but it was absolutely welcome.

One of Olivia's legs circled around to the other woman's back, holding her in place as she occasionally twitched her hips against Natalie's movements. Natalie didn't mind it; she savored every shallow sound, every curse in Spanish above her and every small brush of a hand through her hair.

She parted her lips over her warm, quivering folds and suckled at the sensitive nub of her clit. Olivia's jaw dropped in a low, throaty groan and she shook from the sensations, head rolling back.

"Fuck..."

Natalie felt a certain brand of arousal stab through her at the word uttered so shakily, so breathlessly. Her own thighs ached, heat pooling between her legs. But she was determined to focus on Olivia right now.

The other woman had given up on holding such a smug smirk and her lips were parted, eyes unfocused. Natalie replaced her tongue temporarily with her fingers, pushing them into her slowly. Her tongue resumed its work, trailing a path through the slick folds.

Olivia was quiet, but the noises she made were new; she uttered soft, breathless moans, her fingers lightly holding the back of Natalie's neck. It was all different for her, but delightful to Natalie. Every little rock of her hips came in perfect sequence to Natalie's movements. Her breath was growing faster, chest heaving and she looked down at Natalie.

"Shit, Nat," she groaned softly, "I'm - "

Natalie lifted her eyes up to her, pulling away just a little to speak. "You're going to come?"

Olivia let out another groan and bit out a small sound before she nodded, gasping out something wordless. The roll of her hips in time with Natalie's ministrations gave way to rapid jerks before she finally came with a high sound that was entirely wonderful to Natalie.

It took her a few moments before her breaths stilled and Natalie leaned back a little, admiring the sight of Olivia relaxing, gradually coming down from her orgasm. She straightened on her knees a little and Olivia's eyes opened. She looked happy, which made Natalie happy.

"Good then?" she asked.

Olivia laughed and pulled her up into her arms. "Heh, damn good, Nat." She took another moment before grinning down at Natalie, still there on her knees. "You look good like that."

Natalie smiled broadly and wiggled into the bed with the other woman. Olivia's hands were beginning to tease their way into Natalie's shirt, but the other woman squirmed away, earning a confused look from Olivia.

"You don't want me to?" she asked.

"I do, trust me. But first, I have a present for you."

Olivia laid there before rolling onto her back, watching Natalie lean down beneath the bed, pulling out a brown box. She tilted her head, taking the offering and studying it for a few moments.

"Oh, this is a big one," she remarked.

Natalie looked eager, propping her hand on her elbow. "Well, don't be fooled." she told her. "It's the only one I could find."

Olivia didn't argue and just opened the box, peeking inside. She furrowed her brow, removed the bear that Natalie had spent time tending to. It looked like a brand new bear and Olivia just sputtered a laugh, glancing up at her and bringing the stuffed animal close to her face.

"So, uh, yeah..." she said, "A bear, huh? What do I need with a...Hold up."

Olivia frowned now and studied the bear closer, sniffing it somewhat. She blinked, then her eyes widened in disbelief before she held the bear close and looked up at Natalie.

"No way."

Natalie grinned, nodding her head. "I found Arturito at a little vendor in Dorado." she explained. "The man selling him had bought an entire collection from a church sale. He says they came from a burned orphanage and I knew it had to be yours."

"It is." Olivia stared down at the bear with a smile. "You did good on him, Nat. He looks like he did when I got him."

Natalie laughed a little, sitting at the edge of the bed. Then, she watched Olivia's surprised fascination with the bear and she smiled hopefully.

"So...do you like it?" she asked.

"Yeah." Olivia looked happy, so that was good. She also looked at the gift with a mixture of wonder and delight. "Thanks."

Natalie stood up, put her arms around her waist. She kissed her cheek, but Olivia turned her head to kiss her properly on the lips. Natalie murmured a soft note of pleasure and Olivia parted slightly, smirking at her. She opened her mouth to talk, but her Comm went off and she sighed, annoyed by the interruption.

"What?" she griped, tapping her Comm to hear better.

She raised her eyebrows curiously, glanced briefly at Natalie before nodding.

"Got it." she said.

"What is it?" Natalie asked.

"We're heading to Monaco to see the Omnic."

O

[Monaco.]

Akande had been interested in meeting with the Omnic Maximilien at his casino, but it was something that Natalie wasn't to be a part of. Instead, she was told to observe by the bar if she spotted anything out of the ordinary. It was an unusual request, but she did abide by it. It seemed peculiar for Akande to be so cautious of his own close friends, but she began to suspect that something wasn't quite right.

She smiled when she saw Olivia leaning against one side of the bar, wearing a red, sleeveless dress with a rather enticing slit in the side, exposing her thigh.

Olivia was speaking into her Comm, grinning the entire time. But when she noticed Natalie walking up to her now, she had a new look touch her cheeks and chuckled, ending the conversation with one tap of her finger to her Comm. Looking at Natalie now, she eyed the other woman up and down; the way Natalie had dressed in a clean black suit, red tie and neatly combed hair.

"Look at you." Olivia remarked. "Looking good."

"Same to you." Natalie replied, smiling.

"I know. I always look good."

Olivia winked at her and Natalie chuckled. They looked around them, studying the faces of every patron who entered. Olivia's smile disappeared slightly as she focused on the task at hand.

"Akande believes there's a traitor in the ranks," Natalie told her. "Who do you think it might be?"

Olivia looked away. "Don't know yet. But we'll pull them out of hiding eventually."

"Hm." Natalie looked troubled by the thought, but more so that there was someone stealing from them - from her. "I don't see what they gain from stealing from us."

"Sometimes people get greedy, Nat," Olivia glanced sidelong to her. "Just how it is. But the boss knows how to handle it."

"Maybe so. But it...hurts to see my inventions taken." Natalie's lips pursed. "When I give them freely for the cause of Talon. I gave and they only wanted more."

For a moment, there was an edge in Natalie's voice that hadn't been there before. Olivia caught the tone and looked at her with interest, realizing that the suspicions about her among the others couldn't have been true. The inventions she made, the time she spent on them mattered a lot.

But she also realized that despite Natalie's calm and collective nature, she had anger buried deep in there somewhere. She was afraid to just show it.

The pair walked outside, spotting groups of people dancing together to classic music. They were in one another's arms, leaning against shoulders. It was an all-around romantic sight for Natalie, who looked at Olivia with a small, hopeful smile.

"Want to dance with me?" she asked.

Olivia chuckled, surprised by the question. "Seriously?"

Natalie smiled warmly, pulling her into her arms and the two began to dance slowly in time with the rest of them, leaning their heads against one another. Olivia cleared her throat.

"Hey, Nat? Can I ask you something?" she asked.

"Of course." Natalie replied.

"_Relájate_, it's not bad," Olivia laughed when she heard a small hint of concern in Natalie's voice. "I just had to ask... Why are you so good to me?"

Natalie's voice carried a smile. "Because I care about you. That's what people do when they care for someone."

"No one's really cared as much as you."

Natalie continued to dance with her. She nuzzled her cheek against Olivia's and sighed. "I'm sorry to hear that." she replied.

"No, it's not a big deal." Olivia shrugged it off. "I just...Ah, forget it."

Natalie said nothing more. They just continued to dance while Gabriel watched them from afar.

Nothing suspicious about them. At least, nothing that he could see.

For now.

O

_Note _\- The end of this chapter (specifically the dance scene) was inspired by the song "Gypsy" by Stevie Nicks.


	11. Vernietiging

~O~

**Vernietiging**

_King's Row _

Natalie paced around the corridors of the facility, speaking to Olivia via a holovid.

"_So how long do they have you there_?" Olivia asked her.

"A few days." Natalie said, with a disappointed grumble. She noticed Olivia's equally bothered look as well. It wasn't something she enjoyed, being far apart from her. "They're short staffed here and it's in the shipping yard of all places. _Dervloek dit. _And most of them wouldn't know the difference between a soldering gun and a blowtorch. It's unfortunate."

Olivia smiled at her, winking. "_I can come over and make it a bit more interesting. Heh, maybe I'll hack a few of their toys to get them going."_

Natalie snorted down at the video, grinning. "Don't you dare do anything like that. I already have a lot of work to do and not much time to do it in. Now please, behave for me, _liefling_. Stay busy yourself. It's only for a few days and the cloaking tech is rudimentary at best. I'll have it done in no time."

"_No promises_!"

"Sombra..."

Olivia laughed, waving a hand in the air. "_I'll be on my best behavior_."

"_Qué chula_." Natalie remarked.

"_I'm not being cute, Nat. I'm-_!"

"Miss Krige!" Someone called, interrupting the conversation. Natalie looked over her shoulders and waved a single hand to dismiss him. She sighed impatiently before she looked at Olivia.

"I'm sorry, I have to go."

"Yeah, yeah. Go handle the little _idiotas_."

Natalie nodded. Then, her eyes warmed and she smiled at her. "See you soon. Maybe we can see a movie after this."

"Yeah, that'd be cool. I'll see ya'."

The conversation was ended and Olivia leaned back in her chair, sitting at her home with nothing to do but work on her research, probably fix up a few translocators and eat. Her interests were important in knowing who was behind the manipulation of the world. It was her entire calling, after all. She couldn't let a little distraction like this ruin her evening.

But so far, there was little to go on, especially since Katya had done what she'd done to her. She couldn't go back and try again with her, not after what had happened. It had been too close of a call.

Olivia's mind began to wander while she searched through database after database that day. She thought about Natalie, then about the days of her past.

It was weird. She never really spent time dwelling on it.

She was reminded of the relationship she'd started with Liza within Los Muertos and it had always been physical. Sex, sex and more sex. But Olivia, being young and naive, had eventually wanted more from it. When she had actually wanted it, Liza had laughed at her. Told her it had just been nothing more than sex. Nothing more would come out of that kind of relationship between them. That was that.

Olivia had played it off as something that had never hurt her, but it hadn't. At least, not completely.

But with Natalie? She hadn't just wanted to know her physically. She wanted to know the real her. Olivia had always hidden the real part of herself for her own good, but Natalie had no ill intent as Liza did. She didn't laugh when Olivia had revealed her feelings. She didn't push her away. If anything, Natalie had the same feelings, but also had reservations about revealing them.

She really was too good for Talon.

Glancing toward Arturito sitting on her bed, she smiled a little, rolled her eyes and decided to focus on her work for the rest of the day. After all, it would keep her from missing the other woman.

Meanwhile, Natalie spent her time working hard as well to distract herself from missing Olivia as well. She was leaned over the full-body armor set with a curious murmur, studying the work that had been done. Two other workers stood beside her, warily observing and waiting for her opinion on their work. Natalie wasn't out to upset them too much. After all, they were new to the job.

"Hm," she said, "Did you double check and make sure the core was inside before you set it up?"

The man shrugged sheepishly. "I thought I did."

"Could you check again?"

"I can check again."

Natalie laughed softly, shaking her head in response.

She made her way to her designated workstation to begin work on a taser staff. Putting on her headgear, she took a seat and played the music Olivia had given her. She smiled, singing softly to herself.

O

Natalie was working on drawing up schematics. She was alone in her office, humming softly to herself when she exhaled, feeling the soft, soothing contact of hands on her shoulders. She knew it was Olivia, cloaked behind her.

"Miss me?" Olivia crooned, revealing herself behind her.

"Mmm, I did." Natalie told her, leaning her head back for a kiss. "I thought you were going to stay busy while I was here?"

Olivia smiled playfully. "Well, you know me. I couldn't just stay away." She rubbed the tip of her nose lightly against Natalie's jaw. "So I snuck through security to keep myself busy with you."

"Well, I do appreciate it." Natalie murmured, shutting her eyes for a moment to enjoy the light, but pleasant touch. "I've been working nonstop all day on this schematic." She gestured to the paper laid out in front of her of the unfinished design. "It's coming along slowly."

Olivia leaned over her shoulder to look and made a thoughtful sound. Then, she glanced up briefly, smirked and looked at Natalie.

"Maybe I can help it come along faster." she suggested, with a grin.

Much later, Olivia returned to Venice and found Gabriel waiting for her at the hangar. He grunted when she approached, gestured to the ship with an impatient noise. "We're on the move. Where did you skulk off too?"

"To see Nat. Duh."

Gabriel sighed slightly. "Keep focused on our mission. Did you mention anything about the plan to visit Pierre's estate and go over the shipment orders?"

_Natalie had her hands pressed up against the wall of the closet, uttering soft, breathless moans. __She forced back a grunt pleasure when Olivia continued thrusting her fingers in and out of her. But her breath hitched and she began to pant louder, signaling how close she was. So instead, Olivia pressed her mouth against hers to silence her cries and worked harder to bring her release. _

_"Shhh, show don't tell, Nat." she whispered, against her gasping lips. "Don't want them to hear you, do you?"_

Olivia smirked at him after a moment of silence passed; she shrugged her shoulders, thinking about how she'd spent her time with Natalie in the closet. "Didn't come up." she told him.

Gabriel made a bored, irritated sound now. "Just get in the ship."

"You got it, Gabe!" Olivia told him, laughing.

O

The next day, it was far from silent. The sounds of footsteps echoed through the corridors of the facility.

Men clad in body armor, armed to the teeth.

Natalie was at work on her taser staff when she heard the sounds of a gun going off. It startled her into jumping nearly off of her chair. Her eyes widened and she quickly shot to her feet, rushing into the direction of it. It led her to a storage room where a Talon trooper was laying in a pool of his own blood, clutching his chest. The smell was practically overpowering to Natalie's senses as she knelt down to his side.

"Oh, shit!" Natalie gasped. "What happened?"

The trooper groaned when she removed his helmet with careful hand. He winced sharply, looking up at her. "I... I tried to radio headquarters before they shot me down," he choked out, "The facility's under attack."

"What?" Natalie exclaimed. "When?"

"Fifteen minutes ago, just - "

More gunshots echoed through the air and Natalie looked over her shoulder, frightened. She looked down at the trooper and struggled to help him stand with one hand slipped beneath his ribs.

"I have to help them!" she told him. "But you - "

"I'll go myself," he assured her, holding his chest with a weak sound as he leaned against several crates to support himself, "Just keep your schematics from falling into their hands. That's what they want."

Natalie's eyes widened, confused by that, but she acted quickly; she immediately hurried from the room and made her way into her office to erase what she needed to prevent them from taking it.

She quickly typed on several keys, hurrying to delete every single schematic in the database, but heard a high cry for mercy in the corridor. She ran back out and saw one of her staff members kneeling on the floor with two hands in the air. A man in black body armor was aiming his gun at her and looked up, stunned to see the man being rushed by Natalie, wielding her taser staff.

She shoved it viciously into his throat and an electrical charge surged through his body. He howled in pain, twitched uncontrollably before collapsing to the floor, unconscious.

The staff member smiled, tearfully relieved as Natalie helped her stand. "Thank you! Thank - "

"Hurry!" Natalie interrupted, "Get the others out of here and take the rear exit!"

She nodded anxiously and quickly made her way toward the direction that Natalie had suggested. The other woman was also making her way back to her office to issue a distress signal to headquarters to alert them to the situation; hopefully someone would come quickly.

When she arrived, her eyes focused on the monitors where her friends and staff were hurrying out the rear exit. Her smile of relief immediately drained away when she saw what was happening; throngs of men in body armor making their way right behind them.

Her eyes widened in horror. "No!" she shouted, rushing off.

Natalie ran in a futile attempt to get there in time; but then, she could hear the sounds of gunshots and a chorus of screams behind her, freezing her right where she stood. She was overcome with shock and sickness at the eerie silence that soon followed. Her head spun, tears threatening to form in the corners of her eyes.

Everything was happened so fast and she didn't know what to do. She didn't know how to stop them.

_No, God. Why? Why is this happening?_

O

A turret activated itself, moving through the hangar and taking shots at the assailants. Two of them were brought crumbling to the floor while two more took cover behind walls to avoid the same fate. They were occasionally taking shots at it to bring it down, but the barrier Natalie had developed caused each shot to reflect back, nearly obliterating their bodies in the process.

Natalie was making her way down to the exit and she immediately stopped, horrified to find the bodies of her staff and friends littered across the floor in their own blood. She let out a tormented sound and knelt down to the dead body of the one she had saved in the corridor; her eyes were frozen in a perpetual stare of shock, her mouth slack. She looked like a broken marionette.

"No! No, no, no," Natalie moaned, with an anguished whimper; tears were starting to form and she struggled to keep them back as well as keep herself from throwing up, "Why? Why are they doing this?"

"You know why."

Natalie looked over her shoulder with a start and noticed that a man clad in the same black body armor was staring down at her, gun aimed at her face. She raised two hands and caught sight of a sigil on the chest of the man's armor. It looked familiar, though she couldn't place it.

Not when a gun was in her face.

"Please." she begged; her heart was hammering in her chest. It hurt to even speak. "Don't."

"I'm sorry," the man told her, voice slightly muffled from behind his mask, "I have my orders. I hope you understand that it's nothing personal. You seem like a good person, I'm sorry this had to happen to you."

Natalie quickly reached out with her staff and cracked it across his hands in a desperate move, knocking the gun from his hands. He let out a shout and it became chaos and they both dove to the floor and struggled for control over the weapon. They slipped and slid over blood, debris and bullet casings. Natalie's fingers pressed into his throat and his other hand dug at her eyes.

In the chaos, a grenade had dislodged itself from his belt and rolled across the floor, pin pulled.

Natalie and the man looked over at the sound, watching as it rolled toward a plasma generator and they gave shouts of horror, quickly scrambling to avoid it.

Finally, it went off in a loud explosion and threw them both violently through the air.

Meanwhile, Olivia had been busy at work on her research when she glanced over at the sound of her wrist watch beeping loudly. She furrowed her brow, walked over to retrieve it and stared down at the device. It was issuing a distress signal to her and every Talon agent.

Weird. Why would a distress beacon be...?

Olivia's eyes widened now and she immediately rushed from her room.

O

Her ears rang.

Natalie couldn't move.

She could taste blood in her mouth, feel the wetness against her cheeks amid the searing hot pain that lanced through her entire body. Agonizing, torturous pain and dizzying sensations through her entire head. Natalie couldn't see where she was. If she could just -

One eye. She suddenly realized that she could only see barely out of one eye and couldn't move her arm or leg from where she was laying. She was stuck beneath a metal shelf and her lungs hurt when she took a struggling breath. Everything hurt.

_N-No, I can't... I can't move._

"She wasn't supposed to die, you idiot. What are we going to tell him now?"

"She attacked him. She won't survive. No one's coming for her after that."

_What? No, no, someone has to come. Please..._

"I don't really get why we had to destroy this place."

"You know why."

A sigh followed after a moment. "Yeah, I guess so. Still, seems a shame to waste the inventor. She was good, you know?"

"I guess. Too soft for that world."

Natalie could hear them walking away and she struggled to call for help, but her voice was hoarse, her body wracked with painful shakes. Fire filled her lungs with every attempt to breathe. She moaned softly, shutting her eyes tightly and clenching her teeth. Her head throbbed and she couldn't focus on anything but the pain and the heavy smell of blood. Hers? The others? She didn't know. Everything felt heavy.

"Help..."

Natalie gasped frantically now, looking around as much as she could. She could hear the voice of someone calling weakly in the darkness. She knew the voice from one of her staff members. Eve. Her name was Eve.

"E-Eve?" she whispered, struggling to talk. "Eve! Eve, I'm here!"

A shaky cry. "Natalie? Oh my God, where are you?"

"I'm...I'm buried beneath the rubble. I can't move." Natalie moaned, tears filling her eyes. "Eve, talk to me. Where are you?"

A small sob answered her. "I-I don't know. I think... I can't move my legs. I can't breathe." Another hiccup of shock and anguish. "There's so much blood, Natalie. My shoulder's pinned by a piece of metal. It went through... I-I think it got me through the bone."

Natalie squeezed her eyes shut. Her heart sank and she knew that Eve would bleed out without a doubt. "Eve, just keep talking to me, okay? We're going to get out of here, I promise. Help is coming."

Eve called to her from somewhere in the room, her voice echoing. It was hard to make out where she was and how far she was calling from. "No one's coming for us, Natalie." She was crying now. "We're disposable cogs in the Talon machine, remember?"

"N-No, that's not true. Someone's going to come!"

"You're so naive, Natalie. You know this is the end."

Natalie refused to believe that. She wouldn't believe it. "We can't die like this, we can't..." She strained against the thing that held her and she sobbed in a mixture of rage and pain. "FUCK THIS FUCKING THING!"

Eve was quiet for a moment. "Did you have any plans later...?" she asked, "After this?"

Natalie realized that Eve was trying to talk to her; she was trying to take her focus from what was happening. "I...I was planning on going out with Sombra. We were going to a movie, maybe."

Eve laughed weakly. "That sounds nice."

It was quiet for a moment and Natalie strained a little. "Eve?"

"I'm still here. I'm just...resting my eyes for a minute."

Natalie groaned and struggled where she lay, but the pain and the shelf pinning her body kept her in place. "Eve, please. Don't close your eyes!" she begged. "You won't wake back up!"

"But I'm so tired..."

"Please!" Natalie begged, tears stinging her eyes. Her voice choked out a sob. "Please, Eve. I don't want to be alone..."

"I'm sorry, Natalie. I'm just...Let me rest. Just for a little."

And Eve was finally silent. She no longer spoke, leaving Natalie alone in the dark, bleeding and trapped. She didn't know how long she was laying there afterwards, but she began to weakly sing a song to ease the silence, crying softly to herself.

_My liefde, my liefde,_

_my vreeslose liefde,_

_Ek sal nie groet nie ..._

_See kan opkom,_

_lug kan val,_

_my liefde sal nooit sterf nie ..._

She was going to die there. Natalie was crushed beneath rubble in the cold darkness, alone and surrounded by the dead she had been responsible for. And no one was coming for her.

O

A beam of light danced around the ruins of the facility.

"NAT!" Olivia's voice echoed throughout the building. "FUCK. NAT!"

Baptiste's voice piped up now. "Careful. This place could go at any second."

"Nat!"

Natalie could barely see through a red haze of pain. She could hear voices approaching, then heard the loud, strangled gasp of shock from Olivia.

"Hey! Hey, come on! Get over here, I can see her!"

"Where? Oh! You're right! There she is!"

"We gotta get this off of her. Ready?"

Natalie groaned lowly when she felt the shelf finally lifted from her body. She could gradually breathe a little better, but the agony in her chest was sharper now, lancing pain through every bit of her. It hurt so much, but she was too weak to utter a sound.

"Oh... _Mierda_, look at her arm!" Olivia sounded shocked. "Her leg... SHIT, they're gone!"

"Gone? What do you me - _Kou lan guet_!"

Gone? Well, that explained why she couldn't feel them anymore. Natalie opened her left eye as much as she could, focusing on the bleary shapes looking down at her. She could barely feel a hand against her neck, searching for a pulse, no doubt. Oh, the hand was warm. That was nice to feel a little bit of warmth against her freezing skin. If Natalie had an ounce of strength in her, she would lean against it for more.

"She's alive, but barely," Baptiste said, worry in his tone, "If we'd waited another hour and she would have died. Natalie? Don't move, don't move. We're going to get you home." He looked toward Olivia. "Help me lift her up. Watch her head, watch her head. She's bleeding from her scalp."

"I got it." Olivia sounded breathless. "Come on, we gotta go!"

Natalie looked up, catching Olivia's face as she watched her. Olivia smiled, but she actually looked worried; her eyes were wide, her features frantic. She'd never looked so worried about anything before.

Wait, when had...?

Natalie's mind felt like a weight was pressing down on it and she couldn't focus on anything but those violet eyes looking at her. Nothing else existed but Olivia right now. That was just fine with her.

"Don't worry, Nat. We got you. You ain't dying on me. I won't let you."

Natalie continued to stare at her, then a weak smile lit her face before she closed her good eye.

"NAT!"

O

"I want answers. And I want them now."

Akande regarded his group in the circle with a frigid stare that could freeze multitudes of Omnics in his wake. No one had answers for him right away. No one could speak on what had happened, especially regarding Natalie. But it was after a moment that Gabriel spoke first.

"Everything at the facility was picked clean," Gabriel explained, "Most of them didn't survive or know a thing about the attack."

Akande glanced over his shoulder briefly. "How has Martin been handling Natalie?"

"She's lost quite a bit of blood and her arm and leg won't be saved," Moira explained, with a dramatic drawl, "Poor thing. And she won't have the pretty face she used to have, even with my particular set of skills. But she'll live. Once she wakes, we'll get the information from her regarding the attackers."

"Good." Akande nodded his approval, though he still wasn't happy.

"This won't bode well for them." Gabriel added, with a malicious hiss in his voice.

Meanwhile, Olivia had slowly wandered into the medical wing and found Natalie lying in bed. The sight stopped her breathing.

The monitors occasionally beeped with the rhythm of her heartbeat. The right side of her face was heavily bandaged up and slightly soaked with blood; her arm and leg had been replaced with prosthetic limbs only Vishkar could have "provided" them. She was sleeping, it seemed, given the steady rise and fall of her chest.

Seeing her like that, it wasn't supposed to hurt as much as it did.

But it did.

Olivia shakily reached out to touch Natalie's head. "Nat, shit..." she whispered, not even sure what else to say.

Martin eventually wandered into the room, saw Olivia and sighed, cleaning his hands on a towel. "O'Deorain and I have done everything we can for Natalie. But...she's going to live, thanks to you."

"Yeah..." Olivia forced resolve in her voice. "Good to hear it."

She looked down at the replacement arm for Natalie; it was silver and black, attached to her shoulder at the joint. Her leg had also received a similar colored replacement. It looked pretty cool, to say the least; all in all, Natalie was going to be fine, if Olivia was looking at the brighter side of things. But she looked at Natalie's sleeping form and had so many questions.

One of which who was going to pay for this.

"She'll need more rest," Martin explained, snapping her out of her thoughts, "But once she's awake, Akande will want answers."

Olivia knew that.

She had to clear her head a little, so she made her way outside and found that Dante was walking up to her. His pace was strong, his eyes intent with a single goal that Olivia definitely knew. She rolled her eyes and sighed, leaning against the wall.

"What do you want, _chamaco_?" she asked.

"Natalie's going to be fine, I hear," he said, softly. His eyes were accusing, but perhaps he just needed someone to blame. That's how it always was with these things. "Thanks to you."

"Yeah." Olivia smiled, her eyes cold now. "So why does it sound like you're trying to accuse me of something?"

Dante withered somewhat and Olivia's smile widened. "Ah! That's it, isn't it? Poor little baby needs someone to cry at so he doesn't blame himself."

Dante snorted now. "You know, considering how much Natalie loved you, you don't seem to be particularly upset that she lost an arm, a leg and her face was mangled to hell and back!"

Olivia blinked, momentarily stunned by his words. "What? She said she loved me?"

"Probably the only one who does." Dante snapped, as he walked away. "It's all she talked about."

Olivia stood there, at a loss for words.

No one ever told her that before.

O

Martin was cleaning his hands in the sink when he noticed Natalie eventually stirring. He smiled hesitantly, approached her and noticed her good eye was opening. She seemed confused, looked around dazedly and he took a seat at her bedside, gently shushing her when she moaned. Her sounds were weak, her noises pained whimpers of distress.

"Easy, Natalie, easy." he said, "You're going to be okay." He spoke into his Comm-Link. "She's waking now. Come down."

Natalie looked terribly frightened, jolting where she lay. "My-My arm, I can't feel my arm!"

"It's okay." Martin reassured her, as Akande and the others began to file into the room. "You had a little accident, Natalie. I..."

Natalie looked down at her arm, then her leg and horrified sounds escaped her. "Oh God!" she moaned, choking out small sobs between her words, "Oh God, what happened? Why...What... Where's my arm? My leg?"

Olivia flinched at the sound. She didn't expect that. Nor did the thought of Natalie loving her still lingering in her mind. She wanted to go to her, but her legs remained where they were. She had to let the doc do his job first.

"Natalie!" Martin spoke over her sobs as he gently took her shoulders to bring her attention back to him, "The facility you were stationed at was under siege. You suffered a concussion, your arm and leg were crushed beneath the rubble. You were brought back here and we took care of you as best as we could."

Natalie was struggling to focus on everything around her. Olivia approached and smiled weakly. She thought that the sight of her would ease her mind a little and maybe stop the ridiculous hot lump forming in her throat.

"Hey, Nat." she told her. "Don't worry. You're safe now."

Natalie blinked at her, then looked at Martin. "Who is that?"

A hush fell across the room now. Odd looks were exchanged between them and Olivia looked stunned for a few seconds before she laughed and shook her head. It had to be a joke.

"Ah, funny," she told her, reaching one hand to hers.

But Natalie still looked confused and pulled her hand away from hers. She eyed Olivia up and down, as if she had just started seeing her for the very first time and the smile drained from Olivia's face when she realized that Natalie was, in fact, serious.

"Are you...a friend of mine?" Natalie asked.

Martin looked at Natalie before he removed a penlight from his coat. He shined the light into Natalie's eye, watching the way she followed it before setting it back into his pocket. He cleared his throat once before speaking clinically.

"Do you know your name?" he asked.

"Natalie."

"Your FULL name?"

"Natalie Adele Krige."

"Do you know who I am?"

Natalie furrowed her brow and studied him for a second. She seemed to take a moment to consider the question, as if she was lost. Then, she nodded. "A doctor who works for Talon."

"Have we met before?"

Natalie was silent for a moment, confused. "I...don't think so."

Martin murmured thoughtfully, glancing only for a second to Akande before he looked back at Natalie. He caught the look on Olivia's face in the process, knowing that she was just as confused about the whole thing.

"You don't remember me?" Martin asked her.

Natalie shook her head. "No."

"Okay." Martin gestured to Akande. "Do you know who that is?"

Natalie looked at Akande for the longest time. She didn't answer. Martin put a hand on her shoulder, watching that blank expression on her face.

"It's okay." he assured her. "Take your time."

Natalie studied Akande before she smiled weakly. "He's...my boss. I make things for him."

Akande was satisfied with that response.

"And what about me?" Moira questioned, also fascinated with Natalie's condition. "Do you remember me at all?"

Natalie looked up at her for a moment before shaking her head.

"Do you remember anything about the attack?" Martin asked her. "About what had happened?"

Natalie frowned thoughtfully, looking at the replacement hand. "I...remember they attacked quickly." Her eye welled up and her voice began to shake. "My staff tried to get out but...they were killing all of them."

"Do you know anything about the people who attacked you?" Akande questioned her now. "What they looked like? What they sounded like? Even their weaponry?"

Natalie looked up at him. "They were wearing black body armor." she explained, as she struggled to remember. "One..." A flash of memory flickered through her head like lightning. "He had a crest. It looked like a family crest of some kind."

That was promising.

"A crest." Akande was interested. "Anything else about it?"

"It...had a snake."

Now it was Gabriel's turn to be interested. "A snake."

"Yes." Natalie looked at him and made a gesture with her fingers. "Wound up together with a sword."

"I know that crest." Amélie answered. "Only one family has it."

Akande nodded his head, his tone darkening. "Yes. Only one family would be bold enough to steal from me and think he can get away with it."

Natalie looked at each face in the room, lingered on a still-confused and shocked Olivia before she laid back in bed. Martin patted her shoulder once with a reassuring smile.

"Get some rest, Natalie." he said. "We'll work on the rest in the meantime."

Olivia just laughed derisively and walked out of the room. Her reaction was caught by Gabriel, who glanced back after her only for a second. He stepped out into the corridor and noticed she was gone.

"Martin..." Akande had followed the doctor out of the room. "How long will Natalie's memory loss affect her?"

"Hmm, that's hard to say, Akande," Martin explained, "While the physical damage was easily repaired, her psychological damage is another matter entirely. Her memories could return to her in time; maybe if something were to trigger them. Like smells, sounds, videos, whatever the case. But she needs time to work this out."

Olivia had been listening to the conversation and frowned thoughtfully.

"Hey." Gabriel's voice interrupted her thoughts.

Olivia looked at him and gave a cold laugh. "Sorry, Gabe. I gotta go."

He started to talk, but Olivia brushed passed him, walking into another room before she laughed bitterly, throwing a book to the floor with a sweep of her hand when it had been in her way.

"Of course." she hissed, coldly to herself. "That's how it always goes with you, huh?"

She groaned now, rubbing her face with one hand.

It hurt her.

O

_Note_ \- Natalie sings a fragment of "My Love Will Never Die" by Claire Wyndham in Afrikaans.


	12. Moody Blue

~O~

**Moody Blue**

Lethabo awoke to the sounds of footsteps.

He powered on his optics and walked into the living room of his apartment to search for the source of the sound. He walked around for a moment, noticing nothing out of the ordinary before looking over his shoulder briefly.

"I know you're here." he said.

Olivia didn't bother to keep herself cloaked and instead, reappeared in front of him. She was smiling, but it wasn't her usual smug looks; she was distracted by her thoughts, it seemed. "I'm just looking for something. I'll be well on my way if you don't bother me."

Lethabo didn't argue and watched calmly as she began to search the apartment. "What are you hoping to find in my home?" he asked, "What are you looking for?" When she ignored him, he sighed. "Use your words."

Olivia scoffed, not looking at him. "I'm looking for something of Natalie's."

A small note of amusement. "I don't know why you'd think anything of hers would be here," Lethabo said, "Most if it burned up in the destruction of our old home. Everything she has left is what she keeps on her own person." He tilted his head. "Why don't you just leave and find something in her office, perhaps? I'm sure you can - "

Olivia turned to face him and his insults died down when he caught the storm behind her gaze. He stared at her, concern now in his tone.

"What's wrong with Natalie?" he asked.

"It's nothing. You can't do anything to - "

"WHAT'S. WRONG?" Lethabo repeated, his voice harder than Olivia had ever heard from him.

Olivia smiled coldly now. "Fine. You wanna know?" She exhaled before speaking. "Natalie was put at a facility in King's Row and it was attacked. She..." A hesitated moment before she continued. "She was hurt. She's lost most of her memories...and forgot me."

Lethabo sounded horrified. "What?"

"Yeah." Olivia resumed searching.

"So you're here because you want her to remember you." Lethabo sounded mystified. "Hm. Perhaps I misjudged you. You really do seem to care for her if you're going through the trouble of robbing me."

"You don't know anything about me, Omnic."

Lethabo's voice was harsh now, accusing. "I DO know you." he said, taking a step toward her. "You can fool yourself and everyone else, but you can't fool me. I know who you are."

Olivia let out a derisive laugh, turning to face him. "HAH! _No te dejes engañar_."

"I know everything about you," Lethabo sounded angrier and angrier as he spoke, advancing on her. "I know you pretend to be the one who just blows everything off. I know you like to play the games where you think you're on top of everything in your life. But actually you're the most scared of all."

"Shut up!" Olivia warned, eyes widening.

"I know you steal those little things for Natalie that you don't need and you push away anyone who's willing to put up with you." Lethabo continued to hammer the truth home. "I know the thought of Natalie forgetting you hurts you and you will continue to pretend like it doesn't. But you care about her and you will do anything to make her remember you."

Olivia pressed the barrel of her gun against his forehead now, losing all semblance of calm she had. "I said SHUT UP, OMNIC!"

"I know those people you work for. I know they don't give a single wit about you." Lethabo's red optic was bright and fiery with anger. "I know that Natalie was foolish enough to give you any semblance of love and attention that was denied you in life. And now, now you stand here in my apartment lying to yourself and to me."

Olivia's eyes were wide, fueled with rage. She had never lost control like this before. "I'm being serious. Shut it before I put a bullet in your little head!"

He eyed the gun at his head, noticed the little charm dangling from it and sighed softly. "Just as my maker sold me, just as I had been shunned by others my entire life." he continued, gentler now, "I was shown a little bit of love by the woman who loved you. I know, Olivia Colomar, because you and I are the same."

Olivia blinked, shocked. "How did you know my - " She shook her head, lowering her gun and glaring coldly at him. "Hah, you're not even worth my bullets."

She lowered her gun and Lethabo spoke evenly now. "I can help you." he told her. "But not because of you, but because of her."

Olivia frowned suspiciously. "And why would you do that?"

"Because her happiness is what matters to me," Lethabo replied, lowering his hands at his sides. "She was right. I was selfish to pry her from you. At least I can repay her one more time. If you take me to her, maybe I can try and help her with her memories."

Olivia thought about that.

Maybe.

O

Martin studied the healing wound on Natalie's face after the bandages had been removed. The side of her eye had been slashed, the lower eyelid ripped along with it. Fortunately, the nanites had repaired most of the damage, but it left her with a gruesome series of scars along her cheek, lip and eye.

"Well, you won't be able to see very well in that eye given the damage," he told her, "But you're very lucky. You could have lost your vision completely if you hadn't turned your head in time."

Natalie sighed, shaking her head. She turned to Moira and another doctor who had been watching the scene. They had been silent the entire time, so she had known that they probably had their input to add.

"How's it look?" she asked them.

The two women wavered a little.

"Uhm...it really makes you look...distinguished," Moira said.

"Unique." the other attempted.

Natalie snorted at their poor attempts and made a face. She reached up, but hesitated and looked at Martin. "Could I see a mirror, please?"

Martin smiled, uncomfortable now. "Of course. Give me a second."

He walked toward a table, retrieved a small mirror and held it up to her. Natalie looked down at her face, her eyes widening for a moment before she covered her face with one hand. It was worse than she had imagined. It made her feel sick to look at herself.

"How long will I look like this?" she asked.

"Forever." Martin told her.

Natalie's eyes widened in horror and she stared at him. "F-Forever?"

"I'm not a witch, Natalie," Martin explained, with a shake of his head. "Science can heal and correct most damage, but the scars on your face are permanent. You're going to have to live with that, I'm afraid."

Natalie shuddered at the words, moaning and covering her face with one hand again. She clenched her teeth, let out a frustrated growl under her breath and slouched her shoulders.

"I'm so sorry, Natalie," he said, gently. "We did what we could to help you."

Natalie shut her eyes. "I see."

"How do you feel?" Martin wanted to know. "Is there any pain you're experiencing? Headaches? Blurred vision?"

"My head hurts a little."

Martin murmured thoughtfully, reaching up to touch her temples. He rubbed them gently and looked at her. "Does that hurt when I do that?"

"A little bit, yes."

"Hm. I'll be sure to give you proper painkillers."

"Thank you."

Natalie looked up at her reflection, touched the little marks on her face before she closed her eyes.

Struggling to stand, she leaned against the bed, her legs wobbling a bit. She nearly lost her balance if not for Martin catching her around the waist. He smiled sympathetically and Natalie let out a weak laugh. Then, she looked down at her arm and leg.

"I-I can still feel them, like they're there." she said.

"You will. For a time, anyway." Martin explained. "You aren't the first one whose limbs I've had to replace. It'll be easier, I promise you. We can take it slow as we help you get accustomed to them."

"I was weak..."

Martin looked surprised as Natalie's features twisted and her eyes began to well up.

"I was too weak to fight them off. Too weak to save my staff..." She fisted one hand against her eyes. "And now all of them are dead."

"Natalie, what could you have done against a small army?" Martin asked, laughing softly in an effort to soothe her. "You're one woman. You can't blame yourself."

"They were good people, doctor."

"Of course they were." Martin patted her shoulder gently. "But now we can find the one who did this to them and make them pay for it."

Later that day, Natalie sat in front of a can of soda sitting on the table. Martin watched her and gestured to it.

"Alright, I want you to try and grab it." he told her.

Natalie nodded and wiggled her fingers. He smiled his approval as she took hold of the can; she struggled with it at first for a few seconds, but seemed to be able to hold onto it better. She opened it up, took a drink and set it down once more.

"Motor function is good..." he mused, writing down something on a pad of paper, "You will have the chance to perform greater feats of strength with that particular arm to suit your manner of work. The sensors in the prosthetic will function like a normal hand - " He cut himself off when he noticed her wounded look. "Ah, I meant..."

Natalie sighed impatiently. "I know what you meant."

Martin chuckled, embarrassed by his error. "Of course." He glanced down at her replacement leg before looking up at her again. "Let's try some walking, then. Are you ready?"

Natalie hesitated only for a second. She stretched her leg, flexed the prosthetic toes for a few seconds before nodding. Martin backed away to the end of the room and gestured with one hand in front of him.

"Take a few steps toward me." he said. "Take your time, too. No need to rush."

Natalie swallowed thickly, but smiled a little and rose. She swayed for a few seconds, balanced herself on the table. Taking one step forward hurt, sending pain up her hip and side. She bit her lip, swallowed down a curse and took another step. Martin smiled reassuringly and Natalie smiled back weakly in return. She nearly lost her balance and leaned against the wall.

"_God verdoem it_!" she spat out, with tearful frustration.

Martin walked up to her, shushing her gently. "It's okay." he assured her. "It'll be alright, Natalie. We're not going to rush these things. You're doing fine."

She didn't feel like she was doing fine.

O

Natalie was sitting at the table of the mess hall, alone.

She was staring at a spot, the sounds of activity fading in the back of her mind. She heard only her racing pulse in her head, the sounds of hammering being done in the corridors. She began to shake, her breathing quickening only a little.

_Bang...bang...bang..._

"Natalie."

The sound stopped and Natalie looked up at Akande as he took a seat across from her. Olivia eventually joined in and she smiled sadly at Natalie, but the look came and went quickly. Natalie looked at both of them before she cleared her throat.

"Hello." she said.

"How are you feeling?" Akande asked her.

"Strange." Natalie replied. "My head still hurts a little and my limbs..." She looked down at her hand that had been replaced. "I've been doing well, considering the circumstances."

Akande murmured with a small nod. "Martin tells me you have been."

Olivia looked at Natalie with a hollow smile. It was hard looking at Natalie and knowing she had no idea who she was. She thought about Lethabo's offer as she spoke. "Hey, listen," she told her. "We got the guy. The little _pendejo _who attacked you."

"How?"

Olivia let out a small sound of amusement. "It's me. He thought he could hide, but we got him."

Akande looked at her briefly before returning his focus to Natalie. "Do you remember Pierre Rochefort?"

Natalie nodded her head. "I was supposed to do business with him."

"Those men - the very same ones who attacked you - were hired by him," Akande explained, "To take your schematics and kill any witnesses. Sombra discovered the holovideo transcript from a communications tower nearby." A cold smile touched his lips now as he wrung his fingers together. "He was greedy and thought he could steal from us."

Natalie's features crumbled and she began to shake where she sat, breathing heavily. Her prosthetic fingers clutched the table hard and it began to bend the metal. A smile lit her face as she forced resolve into her voice. Olivia caught the look, furrowed her brow and glanced at Akande.

"I see." Natalie replied, "_Verstaan_, Akande. We will...deal with it?"

"That's up to you." Akande told her. "I can assure you, for this, Pierre will pay with his life. He's taken not just from me, but your turrets as well. How will we deal with that, Natalie?"

"My turrets are programmed with a fail safe code should the wrong person get their hands on them," Natalie explained, still shaking her words out of her; her hand had begun to crush the metal of the table. "All I need to do is speak that code and it resets them to my command."

"Hah! Alright!" Olivia grinned. "Want in on a bit of payback?"

Natalie showed her teeth, nodding. "I do."

It was a change in her, but Olivia decided that she actually liked it a little; after all, Natalie had been vulnerable. It still made her ache to see that the other woman did not remember her. She missed her, she wasn't going to lie to herself about that. But maybe the old Omnic was right and it would take a few things to trigger those memories. She would definitely try.

"Come. We will discuss our next mission, then." Akande told her, with a smile.

Later that evening, Natalie was walking to her workshop when she was stopped by Amélie. The blue-skinned woman regarded her impassively for a few moments before she looked at the replacements that Natalie had retrieved. She gave a small smile, her tone almost sympathetic, albeit insincere.

"You get used to it, _chérie_." she told her.

"How?" Natalie asked, "How do you get used to...this?"

Amélie sighed through her nose. "Your emotions make you vulnerable, Natalie." she told her. "That is what caused you to lose parts of yourself. You were so caught up in your own feelings you missed sight of what was important. That is us. Talon. Our goal. They took advantage and stole from you."

Natalie laughed derisively. "I see. So you think this is my fault."

"Ah!" the other woman laughed now, almost amused. She leaned against the wall and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You want to play the victim, so you always will be."

"What do you suggest then?"

Amélie smiled fiendishly. "Play the game to your advantage. Don't let others play with you, Toymaker."

Natalie thought about her words. She nodded her head. "You're right." she said, her tone light in realization. "I've done that for a long time, haven't I? Maybe this little situation was a wake up call for me."

A nod from the sniper and she waved a dramatic hand in the air. "Maybe. Look at every little situation as an opportunity. A new game to play."

Natalie smiled at her now. "Thank you."

O

Natalie was staring at herself in the mirror while preparations were made for the mission; the scars across her face were gruesome, unpleasant to look at. It was like she had been a completely different person. She touched her cheek, stared down at her hand before she began to cry softly. It was noticed by Olivia, who was helping Baptiste put a few things into the ship. She blinked, swallowed thickly before approaching her.

"Hey, Nat," she said, "What's wrong?"

Natalie rubbed her eyes with one hand before struggling to calm herself. "Just when I think I'm okay," she told her, "Just when I start to believe the doctor might be right. I look at myself in the mirror and I just..." She shook her head with anguish, another small whimper escaping her. "Look at me. I look disgusting."

Amélie watched them from the ship with a frown on her face, but she said nothing.

"Aww, _no llores_, Nat," Olivia assured her, with a half-smile. She cupped her cheeks, making her look up at her. "I can promise you two things... One, you look absolutely fantastic."

Natalie gave a strangled laugh and lowered her eyes.

"Two, the _cabrón _who did this to you will not get away with it," Olivia continued. "You hear me?" She leaned in close, hesitated before patting her shoulder now. "We're gonna get him. You and me."

Natalie looked up at her before laughing softly, a little mystified by the kindness from the other woman. She nodded her head, a change lighting her features; she was determined and angry, what a dangerous combination. But Olivia was somewhat okay with it. After all, maybe this was what she needed to trigger her memories.

Amélie joined Natalie, Olivia and Gabriel into the ship as they made their way to the skies. Their destination was close to Pierre's island estate. The entire time, Olivia looked at Natalie, watching her focused intently on the holographic screen in front of her. She was searching for something, anything familiar. But Natalie was too focused on the mission.

Natalie sensed her stare and lifted her eyes, smiling weakly.

Nothing else was said.

Olivia wanted the distraction, so she kept her mind on the mission as well.

The ship was dropped on the mainland and the group made their way to Pierre's island on a boat. Natalie watched the approaching castle in the distance; it was armed to the teeth with her turrets. Guards. Every kind of defense imaginable that they would easily pass by.

"It's time," Gabriel whispered, his tone fiendish. "Let's make this quick."

"Gladly." Amélie agreed.

Once they docked the boat, Natalie and Olivia were the last ones out and Olivia looked at the other woman with a smirk on her face.

"Why don't you and I have a bit of fun, Nat?" she suggested. "Like we used to."

Natalie furrowed her brow thoughtfully. Then, she cracked a smile. "Okay."

O

Two guards patrolled the workshop, watching the turret as it rotated around on its metal legs. It was being controlled by Phillipe in the corner via a control pad. He looked pleased, but suddenly uncertain. Jean looked at him and caught the look.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I feel bad for poor Natalie, though." Phillipe told him. "Did she really have to die? Poor thing's been through too much for it to end that way."

"She's dead. She's feeling nothing now." Jean patted the turret on the leg with one hand. "Now we have her work to serve our needs and her schematics. No need for that poor, broken toy to hold us down."

"How cruel you are."

Just then, the sounds of speakers crackled and began to play the song "Moody Blue" by Elvis Presley. Everyone in the castle looked up toward the speakers, confused by the sound. Pierre was in his office and he too looked lost. He scowled and pressed a button on his computer console.

"What is that song?" he snapped. "Get that ridiculous American music off my speakers!"

Three guards made their way down the corridor and were suddenly frozen when they saw Natalie and Olivia strolling calmly toward them. Olivia was grinning toothily and she waved at them with one hand. Natalie's look was cold and filled with purpose.

"_Hola, mi amigos_." Olivia hissed, before vanishing with another wave of her hand.

The guards frantically started to open fire, but Natalie pulled out her taser staff, raised her other arm and clenched the fist tightly, producing a barrier around her body. Olivia was appearing and disappearing, occasionally taking shots with her automatic weapon and killing every guard.

Their bodies dropped and Natalie calmly stepped over them.

The two made their way into the workshop and startled heads turned. One man tried to activate the turret, but Natalie smiled up at it.

"_Stel kode weer in: vuur_." she proclaimed.

Immediately, the turret ground to a halt before turning toward the guards, opening fire on them. The sound reached Phillipe and Jean, who had been making their way back to Pierre. They looked over their shoulders and several other guards were running down the halls, shouting in fragments of French and English.

"What's going on?" Jean snapped, a touch of concern in his voice.

"Call Pierre! Tell him what's happening! I - AHH!"

The two men scattered as a wall erupted beside them in an explosion of debris; a turret was firing rounds through the stone. Smoke shot up into the air and Natalie stepped through with a wide grin on her face.

"Looks like it's my time to play with you!" she hissed.

Jean pulled out a handgun and Olivia reappeared in a flicker of violet light, taking a shot at his hand. The bullet ripped into his skin and he shrieked in agony, dropping his gun to the floor. Phillipe gave a frightened sound and whirled, running down the halls. Natalie watched him go and Olivia grinned up at her, pinning Jean to the floor with her knee at his neck.

"Go on, Nat! He's all yours!" she shouted, gleeful.

Natalie grinned right back before she followed Phillipe as he ran into another room. He struggled to open the window, his movements frantic. Natalie was standing in the doorway, calmly watching him in silence for a few seconds. He grunted, groaned with dismay before turning to face her as soon as she produced her taser staff with a loud, ominous crackle.

"N-Natalie?" he stammered, "You're alive."

Natalie nodded her head once. "Yes." Her whisper was cold and she tilted her head with a wide-eyed smile. "Heh, just my luck to find you here at Pierre's estate. And here I thought you'd be going out hunting." She waved her hand in the air to emphasize her point. "Having parties. Getting away with murder. Things like that."

"That wasn't me!" Phillipe insisted, pointing at her. "It was all Pierre's idea. He wanted to take everything you made! He's afraid of Talon, you know. He always was. He knew that if he had enough he could control them. He-He thought your machines could help."

Natalie scoffed, shaking her head. "So you stole my toys I made for your own gain, though I was GIVING them to you?"

"He got greedy!" Phillipe tried to calm the situation, laughing nervously. "He-He always does. That's how it is with him. Ever since we were kids. He wanted more and more and I - "

Natalie abruptly punched the shelf near her. "Shut up!" she spat.

He jumped, startled by the change in her tone. She raised an eyebrow, speaking severely. "Are you really going to stand there and make excuses when you see what you did to me?"

Phillipe trembled, eyes wide and frightened.

"Those people at the facility you attacked..." Natalie whispered, voice shaking out of her like a storm when she thought of Eve, "They were good people and you killed them all. You can justify it as much as you'd like, but you're murderers. Now, I'm here to return the favor."

Phillipe crumbled and backed up against the window as far as he could. "Please, Natalie. I was nice to you!"

"You were. Maybe you had the best intentions, too." Natalie told him, smiling sadly now. "So, thank you. Thank you for showing me that I can no longer let people play with me." Her grin abruptly changed into a cruel, nasty one. "Now it's my turn to play with you. But I'm feeling a little generous and giving you a head start."

"Wh-What do you - "

"Run."

"What?"

"RUN!" Natalie shouted, gleeful.

Phillipe immediately ran around her, out the door with Natalie in slow pursuit, singing the notes to "Trepak" from the Nutcraker to herself with macabre delight. She glanced down at her coat, removing one of her grenades in the shape of a duck. She wound it up and set it on the floor. It followed Phillipe around the corner and he looked over his shoulder, confused at the sight of the duck in pursuit of him.

"I know a lot about intentions, Phillipe, and let me share with you a little advice," Natalie whispered, from around the corner, "When you leave someone for dead. Make sure they are TRULY DEAD."

It didn't take long before it quacked and blew up right in his face.

O

Natalie and Olivia made their way into the security room, where several monitors were on display of the entire castle. Natalie's eyes scanned the screens that revealed her turrets on the move by Pierre's guards. She smiled, leaned in close to the speaker before uttering the words that would reset them all and doom the remainder of the people inside.

"_Stel kode weer in: vuur_."

Immediately, every turret turned on their "owners"; opening fire on the guards and destroying them in a matter of seconds. Natalie grinned and Olivia let out a loud laugh of delight. It was nice, just being together like this, raising hell and having fun. For a moment, she forgot the situation regarding Natalie's lack of memory. It just felt like the old days again.

A guard was running toward the security room and Olivia aimed her gun at the door, taking a shot that passed through it...and through his head. He slumped to the floor lifelessly and she chuckled.

"Aww, poor baby." she hissed.

One of the screens caught Natalie's attention and she noticed Pierre making his way toward the hangar that housed a drop-ship. Her eyes narrowed and she showed her teeth with an angry sound. Olivia winked at her, shaking her head.

"Don't worry, I already took care of it. He's not getting away." she assured her. "Let's get that asshole."

Natalie smiled, nodding. "Let's."

O

Pierre was struggling to start the drop-ship, but could not properly work the controls due to Olivia's infiltration to the machine. Occasionally, the screen flickered the image of a sugar skull along with a middle finger that made taunting noises at him. He scowled, enraged and frightened before listening to the sound of a guard's strangled groan of pain behind him.

"Oh, Pierrrrrrreeeeee!" Natalie called out, her tone singsong, yet vicious.

He looked back and his eyes widened in horror when Natalie flew out of nowhere, grabbing him by the neck with her prosthetic hand. She violently pinned him to the wall with a snarl and he looked at her, shocked to see that wild, unhinged look reveal nothing of the woman he'd met before. Her arm was stronger than he expected, but he was so stunned by the change in her that he didn't resist.

"I made these turrets with my own two hands!" she whispered, shaking, her eyes a storm, "They were MINE. Love, sweat and care went into their creation. And you would use them against _ME_?!"

She practically screamed the last word with such wrath that Olivia was momentarily taken by the sound. She watched, impressed and stunned as Natalie shoved Pierre through the glass window behind him with a deafening shatter. He scrambled through glass to get away, cutting up his hands in the process as Natalie watched him; she was emotionless to the blood that gradually formed from his palms.

"You think you've won?" Pierre hissed, spitting back at her. "I have friends! I have family who wouldn't hesitate to stand up and end you!" He pointed beyond her. "Those belong to me!"

Natalie's smile was wide now, cruel. "You wanted my turrets so badly, _dief_?"

Behind her, a turret marched up, casting an eerie shadow over them both. It's weapons slowly powered up and Pierre's smile drained from his face.

"Then you take them."

The turret opened fire into the room and Pierre's scream was cut off abruptly. Natalie calmly watched the sight and Olivia was unable to deny that she was amazed by the way she had handled it. Once the turret had finished, she didn't notice a guard rushing up to the sight with an enormous knife drawn.

"Not bad for an 'uneducated Toymaker', hm?" Natalie said.

Immediately, a bullet through his head dropped him to the floor and both women looked down at his corpse. Amélie was crouched in the distance at a nearby tower where several guards lay lifelessly around her; she had been watching them through her scope. She spoke into her Comm now, addressing Natalie.

"Now what did I say?" she said. "Always pay attention."

Natalie nodded her head, slightly embarrassed. "I know, I know. I'm sorry." She looked out into the direction of the sniper with a small laugh. "Good shot, by the way."

"Thank you." Amélie replied, with a thin smile.

Natalie looked up at the turret and gave it a little pat of affection. Olivia watched her for a moment, hesitated to ask her how she felt about the whole thing. Fortunately, it was Natalie who spoke first.

"Thank you for bringing me," Natalie told her. "I'm glad I did this. I feel...better."

Olivia smiled a little. "Yeah?" She paused, studied Natalie curiously, with hope in her tone. "Do you, uh, remember anything else? About me?"

Natalie looked at her, then shut her eyes. "No."

Amélie watched them through her scope, noticing the way Olivia waved a dismissing hand, laughed and shrugged it off as if it were nothing.

But even the woman who felt nothing knew that was a lie.

O

They had returned to headquarters to give their report on the situation.

Natalie had made her way outside into Rialto to clear her head, smile in relief a little. The whole matter had taken a weight off of her chest for now. She had never felt so free before in her life.

She didn't notice Olivia approaching her with Lethabo by her side. It was only when she heard the footsteps against the marble that she turned, raised an eyebrow at his presence.

"Oh. Hello, Omnic." she said.

Lethabo stared at her, a sad sigh escaping him. He was shaken by the physical change in the woman. "Natalie? Gods, you look..." he began. He shook his head when he caught the harsh look on Olivia's face. Of course, do not talk about it. He looked at Natalie now, a bit of hope in his voice. "Do you...remember who I am?"

Natalie looked at him, glanced him up and down. "No."

Lethabo didn't sound sad about that, much to Olivia's surprise. He simply shook his head, seemed to think of the proper words to say.

"I see," he finally spoke, "I'm... I was a friend of your mother's. I took care of her before she died."

Natalie murmured thoughtfully, glanced down at the ground. She smiled so suddenly, but her eyes didn't match. "Everyone tells me there are things I need to remember and people I need to know. And I just..." She shrugged her shoulders once. "I just don't. And that scares me."

Her eyes began to well up and she shook her head rapidly. "I don't want to think about this anymore."

She was already walking away before the two could stop her.

Olivia blinked and frowned at Lethabo. "I thought you knew what you were doing, Omnic."

Lethabo looked at Olivia. "What did the doctor say?"

"Uh, I don't know," Olivia shrugged her shoulders. "Natalie's recovered completely and that her memories could come back with triggers. Or something."

"Hm. Perhaps it isn't all physical." Lethabo told her. "I've seen my kind experience a certain Post Traumatic Stress Disorder during the Omnic Crisis. It doesn't always manifest itself the way it does a human, but I can see that Natalie has shut them out. The memories are there, I'm sure of it. She only needs time."

"That's really helpful." Olivia scoffed, rolling her eyes.

Her eyes softened and she exhaled slowly through her nose.

There was nothing else to do.


	13. Anoche Soñé Contigo

_Note_ \- This chapter was inspired by the song "Restless" by Cold War Kids.

~O~

**Anoche Soñé Contigo**

And time Natalie did receive.

A month went by in silence. Olivia was alone in her hideout, sitting in the shower as she let the water run down her back. Everything felt too quiet now without Natalie's ridiculous music playing, her laughing and her cooking to make the place smell nice. She didn't show up at Calaveras anymore and focused on her work at headquarters. Olivia hated how she constantly missed her.

There was nothing else she could do about it. Not really, anyway. And that was the worst, frustrating part; she could always do anything about it. But not here. Not now.

Her fingers rubbed her back, touching the grafts and for a second, she thought of Natalie kissing them, smiling and just cherishing that part of her.

"Ugh." Olivia grunted, rolling her eyes. She didn't want to think about that.

She stood up, turned the shower off and dressed herself. She would visit headquarters once again, no doubt seeing Natalie just to give herself another heartache.

Meanwhile, Natalie was busy at work. Her replacement hand had been modified to rotate several tools that would help her perform her tasks easier. She took comfort in that fact and found it to be very useful in the days that went by. At least now she could get lost a little in her work and not dwell on the hideous scars on her face and the fact that she had lost body parts.

Talon troopers were practicing at the shooting range nearby, the sounds of their weapons echoing loudly through the entire facility.

_Bang...Bang...Bang..._

Natalie suddenly froze in the middle of soldering a wire, her hand shaking. She blinked rapidly, trying to rebuke the memory of gunshots echoing in her mind. The sounds of her staff as they screamed. The pleas for mercy, the confused wails and scramble for escape...

Later, Olivia entered the hangar and found Natalie's usual work-space empty. She furrowed her brow, wandered around for a little until she heard soft whimpering sounds nearby. Olivia followed the noise around a corner, entered a storage room and found Natalie sitting on the floor with her legs crossed, doubled over and holding her ears with two hands.

She was crying softly, moaning "no" under her breath over and over.

"Nat?" Olivia said, quietly.

She walked up, knelt down and sighed, putting her hands over Natalie's. It drew a visceral reaction from the other woman and her eyes flew open with a frightened high sound. When she seemed to collect herself, she looked up at Olivia with embarrassment and slowly, slowly relaxed. Her face was streaked with tears, her eyes red.

"I'm sorry." she whispered, "I was just..."

"Hiding?" Olivia guessed, with a small smile.

Natalie shakily nodded, trying to smile in return, but it looked nervous and forced. She wiped her eyes with one hand and looked at her mismatched hands. "I was just working on that suit of armor and..." A small shake of her head now. "I don't know."

Survivor's guilt. Olivia had seen this kind of thing before with someone of her old crew; when Carlos had died during police raids. Julio had felt like Natalie had when he'd died and he never got over it. Olivia wasn't about to have that happen with Natalie.

"I think I know, Nat." Olivia told her, "You need to go back."

"Go back? Go back where?"

"Where it happened. You have to deal with it."

Natalie shook her head rapidly and Olivia's eyes hardened. "_No le saques_, Nat."

"What?"

"Don't be a coward."

Olivia didn't like the idea of giving Natalie crap about this, but it was time for her to do things her own way. The "soft doctor's touch" wasn't cutting it and Natalie wasn't going to get better at that rate. It seemed to work a little because Natalie's teeth bared themselves and she glared up at her tearfully.

"I'm NOT A COWARD." she spat.

"Then prove it." Olivia challenged.

Natalie glared at her, sneering.

O

The ruins of the facility appeared over the horizon as Natalie and Olivia made their way close to it. The closer they got, the quicker Natalie's breath came. Olivia was climbing over the rubble, her features a mask of conflict. Now that she was here, she had to come to terms with the truth herself; she had almost lost Natalie. The thought of it had awoken something cold in the pit of her stomach. She'd never felt that way before.

"All of them died..." Natalie whispered, shakily. "_Vergewe my... Vergewe my_..."

Olivia blinked, turned and noticed Natalie kneeling in the rubble now. She was crying softly and Olivia exhaled, shoulders slouching. She approached her, knelt down and put a hand on her shoulder. Seeing Natalie like this hurt her a little, but it also hurt knowing that she didn't remember her. Olivia had made efforts for her to remember her, but Natalie couldn't.

"It's my fault..." Natalie continued to moan, between anguished sobs. "I lost it. M-Maybe I could have helped them. I should have never sent them down that hallway I..."

She was in hysterics and just continued to cry. Olivia was at a loss; she wanted to comfort her, but she had no idea how to do that. She was already swimming in doubt herself and the truth that she had to face.

"You almost died, too," Olivia told her.

Natalie looked up and Olivia laughed awkwardly. She huffed out, scratched a finger across her nose. "Yeah, I thought you'd died." she continued, a hot lump forming in her throat. She swallowed thickly to get rid of the sensation and it helped a little. "You know, and if you did, that...uh, that would have sucked a lot and..."

Natalie stared at her, watching with a mixture of confusion and surprise as Olivia rubbed her eyes with one hand, trying to speak the words on her mind; it seemed as if she struggled to do so and hide the fact that the whole possibility of Natalie dying had affected her. She was uncomfortable, not quite sure how to talk about the thing that now hurt her so much to think about.

To Olivia, she hadn't felt that sort of feeling hit her in a long time. She was sitting there, looking at Natalie and realizing how much she would have hated to see the other woman die. The first woman who gave any sort of damn about her not only almost died, but lost memory of her completely.

It was just her luck. It was ALWAYS her luck.

Natalie stared at her for a few moments more before putting her arms around her into an embrace. The act startled Olivia for a second and she was ready to push her away; but she sighed instead and just returned it. The warmth of Natalie's body, coupled with the sensation of her metal replacement arm felt comforting, and she sorely missed it after all this time.

But it also hurt more.

"Could I...tell you something?" Natalie asked.

They finally parted and Olivia looked at her with a small laugh, fighting back the stinging in her eyes and putting on an air of cockiness that she often had. "Sure. What's up?"

"I don't know you, but..." Natalie's cheeks darkened somewhat. "I dream about you every night. Is that... Was that weird of me to say that?"

Olivia laughed again, though louder and amused. They'd both forgotten their surroundings now. "Well, uh..." She scratched the back of her head and took a chance. "Would it be a bit weird if...I told you that you and I used to be together, then?"

Natalie's eyebrows went up in astonishment. She looked Olivia up and down and for the moment, the other woman anticipated that same laughter again from Liza. But Olivia looked at her and didn't laugh. She seemed to consider something as she fidgeted with her hands before a smile touched her cheeks.

"That makes a lot of sense, actually." she admitted.

Olivia felt a little bit of hope in hearing that. "Yeah?"

A nod from the other woman. "I...I have this feeling whenever I'm around you. I'm happiest." Natalie told her, with a small, timid smile now. "I wasn't sure what it meant. I can say I do feel something between us. I..."

Olivia cracked the smallest of smiles, even when Natalie trailed off and ducked her head.

She didn't know how long they spent time there. But it was nice.

O

Natalie agreed to go to Calaveras.

Olivia was a bit pleased to hear that and hopeful that the sights and smells would be enough to get her to remember that place. And her.

When Natalie arrived by her side, Sergio was taken by her change. Natalie stared back at him and raised an eyebrow, a but put-off by his expression, but forced a strength in her voice.

"What?" she asked. "Something wrong with my face?"

Sergio quickly averted his eyes. "No, it's just... What happened to you, _mija_?"

Natalie cleared her throat and she lowered her eyes, refusing to look at him now. "Nothing. I don't want to talk about it."

Sergio didn't push the question any further. He simply shrugged his shoulders and started to prepare a drink for Olivia; he looked back at them and noticed the peculiar change. He frowned thoughtfully, glanced at Olivia as he set a drink down for her. When he offered one to Natalie, she waved a dismissing hand.

"Ah, could we talk?" he asked, gesturing to Olivia.

Olivia nodded, walked into the back of the room with Sergio. The old man glanced out to Natalie, who seemed to be interested in the music from the karaoke machine.

"What's going on with you two?" he asked, in a hushed tone, "You look like you've never seen each other before."

"She doesn't remember me."

"What?" Sergio looked stunned. "_Qué demonios_, Sombra?"

"She was on a job," Olivia explained, "It blew up in her face and it must have messed with her head or something. I'm trying to get her to remember everything about us."

"That's terrible," Sergio said, a sympathetic grimace touching his face. "_Me siento triste_, what can I do to help?"

Olivia scoffed and shook her head. "No, you're just going to make it weird."

"When have I ever made things weird?"

"That night with the feather duster and you tried to make Carlos laugh?"

Sergio rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Ah, a guy tries to make someone laugh and he never hears the end of it." He caught Olivia's skeptical frown and chuckled thoughtfully. "Well? What's Natalie's favorite thing?"

"Her toys she makes."

"And?"

"Well, music, of course."

Sergio grinned and snapped his fingers. "_Muy bien_, that's perfect!" he said. "Music is they key to the heart. Play one of her favorite songs. I'll clear our the bar."

"Really?" Olivia raised an eyebrow. "You're gonna clear our all these customers?"

"There's only Marco out there and he's drunk." Sergio told her, waving one hand. "Now go on! I'll get the broom and push him out the back door."

Olivia folded her arms across her chest, rolled her eyes and scoffed. She watched as Sergio took his famous broom and started to bump Marco sleeping in the corner.

"Luis, come out here! He's a leaker!"

Luis left from the back of the room, grumbling to himself. "I'll get the mop."

Olivia walked out into the bar and Natalie was watching the sight of the two men rolling Marco out into the street like a barrel of alcohol. She looked bemused for a few minutes, not taking notice to Olivia scrolling through a holographic screen she brought up with her hand.

She searched for the song "Special Star" by Mango Groove that Natalie had sung when they had first gone out together. When it began to play, Natalie blinked, surprised and looked over her shoulder at her. Olivia was smiling and tilted her head, watching the mystified look touch Natalie's face.

"Sound familiar, _bonita_?"

"It does." Natalie said, with a smile.

She shut her eyes, seemingly in thought. Olivia watched her for a moment, waiting to see what would come next. Natalie looked...happy. She stood up, watched as Olivia set the holographic tablet aside and began to dance with the music a little; she swayed her hips, laughed softly and Olivia tilted her head.

"Ugh, your dancing is still so bad." she joked.

Natalie couldn't help her grin now. For a second, she even looked like her old self, just laughing as she danced with the song.

"Heh, but I guess it's cool if it makes you happy, huh?" Olivia added, with a small smile.

Natalie laughed a little, a small amused sound mixed with caution. She didn't seem so sure at first about Olivia, but when she touched her hand, the warmth returned in her eyes. She gestured slightly to her face with a sound of disappointment.

"I just...I wish I could do something about this..." she sighed.

"Nat come on..." Olivia argued, with a shake of her head as she reached up. She hesitated then, unsure of whether or not to touch Natalie's face. "I told you how great you look."

"You're only saying that."

Olivia let out a small scoff. "Trust me, Nat. I don't just say things to be nice."

Natalie let out another tiny laugh, but still refused to look at her.

"I just..." Natalie trailed off, frowning when her Comm beeped in her ear.

She looked at Olivia with an apologetic smile before tapping it. Olivia shrugged her shoulders, letting out a disappointed sound before she paced around the bar. Natalie was talking with someone on the other end, seemingly bothered before her eyes darkened.

"I see. I'll be there."

Olivia sighed when she saw the look on Natalie's face. She knew what to expect.

"A job?" she guessed.

Natalie nodded, suddenly hesitant to leave the bar. "A job." she confirmed. "I have to help supervise transportation of the newest shipments of materials for my propulsion devices. Akande does not trust anyone else to do it."

"Yeah. Yeah, I get it." Olivia's tone was hollow, but she nodded anyway.

Natalie seemed to think about something, studying Olivia with deep thought before she left the bar. Olivia stood there and watched Sergio walked out to meet her. The old man looked at her sympathetically.

O

Natalie was busy on a truck as it rushed by, being pursued by several Special Ops Forces. She furrowed her brow, glanced up when one of them landed on the roof.

"No, no, no," she hissed, to herself, "They can't take these!"

The sound of a cutting tool filled the air and she scowled furiously, aiming her taser staff at the doors of the truck.

"Leave me ALONE!" she shouted, enraged.

She slammed it onto the metal and it released an electric charge that surged through, stunning the man holding onto it. He yelled out, opening his hands and falling from the truck. His body tumbled head over heels over the concrete and Natalie flung the doors open, glaring out at two trucks in pursuit.

One of the men driving the truck saw her condition and his eyes widened. Natalie reached into her coat, pulled out a remote and pressed a button. Several drones armed with small laser guns flew from the truck, synthetic laughter echoing from their speakers.

Natalie waved at the men, smirking as the truck she was in drove faster away, leaving them distracted with her newest toys.

They arrived at the ship and Natalie hopped out of the truck, walked to the driver's side and smiled at the Talon trooper who had been driving.

"Let's move quick," she told him. "They won't be distracted by those toys forever."

One of the officers suddenly jumped down from the truck and aimed his gun at her. Natalie quickly ducked and rolled beneath the truck to avoid him and he snarled his words out.

"Get out and keep your hands up!" he spat.

Natalie hissed gleefully. "Try and get me, then!"

The officer grunted, running around the length of the truck to find her, but she wasn't there. The Talon trooper started to exit the truck, but Natalie called out from somewhere.

"No, no!" she chided, "He's mine to play with!"

"You've got nowhere else to run," the officer warned, circling the truck. "That equipment is government property. It doesn't belong to you."

Natalie sighed with disappointment. "All of you create these things and you barely even scratch the surface of possibility," she said. "Maybe you're good people. Maybe you mean well in the end, but you never think it through, do you? _Arme ding_."

The officer looked around for her, gun aimed at the trooper still sitting in the truck. "Come out and stop playing games," he warned, "You are a terrorist and hereby subject to arrest. You can come quietly, or I take you by force."

"Terrorist? I'm not a terrorist." Natalie said.

He looked up at the woman standing on the top of the truck. She had a wide, angry grin on her face and she clutched one of her sticky grenade in her hand.

"I'm an angel!" she shouted, throwing the sticky grenade onto his head.

He dropped his gun, shrieking. His fingers clawed at his head and Natalie ducked behind the truck, seconds before the grenade detonated, rocking her and the trooper off balance. She stumbled forward with a smile on her face, stood up and beamed with pride at another sticky grenade she had still in her hand. It was always good to have a couple of them.

It felt nice.

"So, you want this on the ship now?" the trooper asked.

Natalie nodded her head. "Oh! Yes! Go ahead!"

She walked to the back of the truck, muttering in Afrikaans and the trooper laughed, shaking his head before he started the engine and they rode off.

O

Natalie returned to headquarters and bumped directly into Dante. He stared at her, surprised for a moment before looking her up and down.

"Nat. Oh." he said. "Hey."

Olivia was passing by and noticed the two talking. She pursed her lips and just sneered at the sight, whispering under her breath.

"Keep walking, _cabrón_. Keep walking."

Whatever had happened, they parted ways and Natalie made her way to the locker room. Olivia was too curious not to know what had happened, so she followed the other woman, just as she had been removing her coat and tank top.

Olivia's smile disappeared somewhat when she saw upper back was riddled with tiny white scars. She knew that Natalie had lost an arm and leg, her face mangled from the attack. But she had no idea they'd ended up on her back, too. It really had been bad.

Natalie had started wiping down her prosthetic arm when she caught Olivia's stare. She smiled thinly and tilted her head, the shy look on her face still there, but she also seemed interested in trying not to seem so timid.

"Hey," Olivia said.

"Hi." Natalie answered.

"How'd the job go?"

Natalie shrugged one shoulder with a noncommittal grunt. "Mm, well enough, I suppose." she told her. "I got to use one of my sticky grenades on someone's face." Her smile lit up her face now. "That was fun."

Olivia snickered. "Really? Damn, sorry I missed that one."

Natalie giggled along with her and the two shared a laugh for a few moments more before they were silent once again. She lowered her eyes to her arm, rubbed her sore shoulder before clearing her throat.

"It's freeing, you know," Natalie continued, "Realizing that you can't let people toy with you."

Olivia nodded in agreement. "Yep."

It was awkward again, the silence that followed. Natalie was looking at her with a small smile that played at the corners of her lips. Her eyes were darting between the floor and Olivia a few times before she glanced at the shower stall.

"I'm going to clean up a bit." she said.

Olivia nodded her head. "Yeah, I should, too, but I can go."

She scratched the back of her head and turned, but Natalie's voice stopped her.

"Can you stay?"

Olivia froze where she stood. She didn't want to hope that Natalie would remember her, but when she turned and saw Natalie's hopeful smile, it made her smile in return.

"Yeah? You want me to?" she asked.

Natalie nodded. "I would like for you to stay." she replied, her cheeks suddenly darkening with pink.

Well, who was Olivia to argue the invitation?

She began to undress herself and Natalie entered the shower to do the same. Olivia didn't speak at first until she heard the shower start on Natalie's side. So she did the same and turned the shower on in her stall.

"I wasn't sure, at first," Natalie suddenly said, "If you were messing with me. But then, I began to recollect things the longer I thought about them. And that song..."

Olivia said nothing, listening to the mystified tone in Natalie's voice.

"That song. I remember it. I sung it only once. I remember I was drunk." Natalie continued. "And you were there with me."

Olivia smiled a little. "_Chido._"

Natalie chuckled now. "That must sound stupid."

Olivia murmured somewhat, then smiled a little. "You really thought I was messing with you?"

"I did. But that was fine. I thought you had something, maybe."

"Sounds like you want to be messed with."

Natalie stifled a giggle and Olivia tilted her head at the noise. She made her way around the wall and Natalie looked at her. The curious, dark look returned and Natalie eyed her up and down, not at all rejecting the approach. Her eyes were inviting, albeit shyly. Olivia took a step toward her and noticed the way Natalie's eyes flicked away, avoiding her gaze and staring at her replacements with a sad sound.

Olivia had wanted to touch her for a long time, but she knew that Natalie still hated the way she looked. She could fix that. She would fix that right now. After all, Natalie was welcoming her for the first time in a month. She was glad for it. She really was.

"_No se preocupe_, Nat." Olivia assured her, with a relieved grin on her face. "You look good."

"Hah..." Natalie looked at her. "Even though my face looks like _biltong_?"

"I have no idea what that is." Olivia remarked, with a chuckle.

She reached up, placed a hand against Natalie's cheek and drew close for a kiss. Her eyes closed halfway and she paused only when their lips were a breath apart, seeking any changes in Natalie's eyes for signs that she did not want her to continue.

Natalie didn't pull away. She watched Olivia with rapt attention, her own eyes darkened with want. She tilted her head, eyes closing when their lips met.

A soft note emerged from her throat and she welcomed it when Olivia drew closer, pressing their warm, damp bodies together. It was good, that feeling of closeness once again and Olivia had become more aware of the damage that Natalie had endured from the attack in King's Row.

The scars on half of her face, the replacement arm at her shoulder, the little white scars peppering her back; Olivia could feel each one as she ran her hands over them slowly. Now that she was closer, she realized that the damages were more severe.

Natalie's kiss was careful, but gradually grew in boldness with every contact of their skin. Olivia could feel her fingers lightly caress her chest before stopping at a nipple, lightly brushing against it. It made her shiver, delighted by the touch. She returned it in kind, lightly massaging Natalie's breast with one hand.

A pleasant squirming from Natalie, a soft groan of approval. Their lips met again and just when Olivia's fingers began to sneak lower to more well-needed areas, Natalie seized.

"W-Wait a minute..." she gasped out.

Olivia took her hand away and raised her fingers to Natalie's face, lightly rubbing them against her lower lip. "What's up?" she asked. "Do you want me to stop?"

"No!" Natalie quickly said. She opened her eyes and looked at her, gaze wanting. "Just...not here."

"Oh! Yeah, you got it." Olivia assured her, grinning once more.

O

Getting to Natalie's room had felt like an eternity.

But once they were there, Olivia moved on top of Natalie, savoring the warm, damp feel of their bodies. She felt Natalie respond almost eagerly; no more was she hesitating or seemed ashamed of herself. Her hands were running up and down her back as Olivia leaned down for a kiss.

_Yes, yes, finally!_

Olivia felt Natalie squirm beneath her before the other woman parted a little. "Wait..." she said. "I just want a little light."

Olivia nodded her head with a breathless laugh when she watched Natalie reach up above the bed to tap a small button. Once a soft, warm glow filled the room, she resumed kissing the woman below her. It'd been a while, but it was nice learning the feel and taste of her again.

Natalie wrapped her leg around Olivia's waist, holding her in place. The cool metal of the replacement of her leg pleasantly chilled Olivia's skin, and she found that she didn't mind the feeling. It would take getting used to, and she hoped that Natalie had a lot of time planned to get used to it.

A little adjusting before Olivia sat up. She spread Natalie's legs and wiggled her hips a little to bring her crotch up against the other woman's. Holding her ankle in one hand, she smirked down at her and Natalie helped her by opening her other leg a bit more to give her more access. Olivia began with a small rock of her hips, trying to find a perfect rhythm. It was slow and mildly awkward at first just holding Natalie's ankle in one hand, but she soon found her pace that had a low, dulcet purr bursting from Natalie's throat.

A grin lit Olivia's lips and she raised an eyebrow at the sound. "Heh, that good?"

"Oh, yes..." Natalie gasped out, clutching her hips. "Don't stop."

Olivia resumed her pattern, rocking harder into her; it took a short time before both women's soft gasps devolved into groans and curses in their native language. One of her hands ran a path over Natalie's chest, clutching her breast and thumbing her nipple before she draped her leg over her shoulder. Natalie's little noises of pleasure spurred her on for more.

"Fuck..." Olivia grunted out, jaw clenching as she thrust harder into the other woman.

Natalie leaned her head back, clutching Olivia's thighs and uttering moans that came louder, higher. She met Olivia's eyes and when she smiled, Olivia did the same and while both looked unfocused, their attention remained solely on one another.

"Gonna come?" Olivia barely managed to get out. She didn't stop her rhythm.

"Y-Yes. Please..." Natalie moaned, leaning her head back.

Olivia needed no further invitation; she felt the trembling in her thighs, the building release threatened to end her. Natalie was close, uttering a few choice obscenities under her breath. It took a few encouraging words from Olivia before Natalie stiffened with a thick groan, finishing with a few whimpering sounds to follow.

The other woman came shortly after her, doubling over with a sharp sound and a "fuck" bursting from her lips. She held onto Natalie's leg, took a few seconds of panting and jerking into her to ride out the last lingering vestiges of her orgasm.

Natalie made a contented sound, wiggling her leg a bit to stretch it out before she pulled the sweaty form of Olivia to rest on top of her. Her chest was heaving, her brow damp as Natalie kissed it gently. Olivia chuckled breathlessly, murmuring a soft sound before she propped herself up and looked down at Natalie. A finger traced her collar bone before booping her on the nose with a playful smile.

"Mmm, I hadn't planned on that," Natalie told her, with a sheepish laugh.

"Second thoughts?" Olivia's smile disappeared a fraction.

"What? No!" Natalie quickly corrected herself. She glanced down, gave a little giggle and raised an eyebrow. "I meant coming so fast."

Olivia crowed with laughter, slumping against her chest for a second, then looked back down at her and continued to trace her chest with soft fingertips. "_N__o, está bien_. You never were able to pace yourself."

"Ah. That's awful." Natalie giggled again.

After a moment, Olivia rolled on her side and spent some time studying Natalie's replacement hand; their fingers gently caressed one another and she glanced up at Natalie with a curious note in her voice.

"I can feel that, you know." Natalie assured her, with a smile in her voice. "Martin made sure the nerves were properly connected and the sensitivity corrected."

"So you can feel this too?"

Olivia playfully toed the hollow of Natalie's ankle and the other woman giggled, squirming in the bed. She certainly could.

The two women laid there in bed and Olivia took a moment to observe the surroundings of Natalie's simple room. She wasn't sure why the other woman didn't have a little more for herself. After all, she was Talon's inventor.

"Small place you got here."

Natalie blinked and glanced up at the ceiling. "I was offered a bigger place. But I declined it."

"Huh? Why?"

"I don't need a massive room. I just need my place to work and that's it."

Olivia murmured thoughtfully before she waved a hand in the air. "Not even spoil yourself a little?" she asked, laughing.

She was joking a little to ease the odd feeling creeping up on her. Maybe she was worried that Natalie would tell her to leave - that she'd made a mistake. But instead, Natalie simply pulled her into her arms once more and Olivia exhaled, relaxing her muscles.

"I like this," Natalie finally said, a smile in her voice. "I feel right for the first time."

"Yeah." Olivia replied, after a moment of hesitation. "Me too, _cielita_."


	14. To the Future

~O~

**To the Future**

"Twenty-two."

"No, twenty-one."

Martin was standing on the other end of the room while Natalie was trying to read from a board that listed numbers and letters. She had her good eye covered with one hand and she made a face as she strained to look at it.

"No squinting." Martin chided.

Natalie sighed impatiently, slouching her hands. "I can't read it, I'm sorry."

"That's okay." Martin assured her, with a smile. He pushed the board a little closer. "I'm going to move this closer and you tell me when it becomes clear."

Natalie nodded her head once and Martin slowly moved toward her with the board, inching closer and closer and waiting for a confirmation. When he was well within close proximity to her, she nodded her head with a defeated sound. Martin made a thoughtful sound and made his way over to a counter.

"Now, this may seem a little strange," he told her, "But I assure you, it could help with your vision."

Natalie furrowed her brow curiously and watched as Martin approached with a little monocle in his hand. She gave him a small laugh and shook her head before staring up at him.

"Are you serious?" she asked.

"Humor me for a moment, please?" Martin assured her.

Natalie sighed, leaned up and allowed him to apply the monocle to her face. Natalie blinked a few times, looked around the room and made an impressed note.

"Oh!" she said, smiling. "I can see a little better."

Martin nodded and pushed the board further away. "So, how clear is it now? Can you read the lowest row?"

Natalie smiled happily, pleased. She read the lower row out loud for Martin, who was happy with the results. It was clearer for her and her mood even seemed to heighten in that short second. She touched the monocle on her face and stood up.

"Well, I definitely thank you, doctor." Natalie told him. "You've been so patient with me. I couldn't have asked for a better one."

Martin was content with the answer.

"I should leave, though. I have a task I need to finish for Akande." Natalie explained.

Martin's smile disappeared somewhat as she walked away, but he said nothing else. Natalie had certainly changed a bit since her attack. He didn't know if it was for the better or not. But still, she was alive, thanks to his and Moira's work, so perhaps he had to see the greater picture. It was just strange seeing her in such a different light to what she used to be with them.

Natalie wandered the corridors and found Moira walking toward her. The older woman's features clouded in thought before she smiled at Natalie with curiosity. She reached out, cupped her chin and turned her head around to get a good look at the scars on her face. Natalie didn't protest the action, though she did look a little cautious by it. After all, it was a strange thing for the other woman to do.

"Such a shame we couldn't do more for your face," Moira told her.

Natalie sputtered a laugh before she leaned out of her touch. "It's fine. I like it now." she replied. "It's a good reminder of what I never need to be again."

"And what's that?"

"Weak."

Moira nodded her head with a thoughtful sound. "Mm, yes, look at every situation as an opportunity to learn." she said. Her smile was fiendish now. "And let that be a reminder to those who wrong you in the end."

"It's a good lesson." Natalie agreed, a smile on her face.

And with that, she walked away. Martin had exited the room and spotted Moira. He started to walk passed her, but stopped and they watched as the younger woman was making her way toward the hangar. He was quiet for a moment before he looked at Moira.

"She's changed," he said. "She's not the person she used to be when she began with us."

Moira made a thoughtful note. "It's funny what being at the edge of death will do to a person."

O

Several men were standing armed at the end of the hallway.

Olivia was kneeling behind a statue, her gun at the ready. Natalie was outside with her newest toys taking out the guards in the warehouse. Olivia was excited to be on a mission again with her and now, even more so; taking out these idiots who thought they had her trapped in this room.

She loaded her gun, vanished and dove right in.

Gunshots went off and shouts of horror filled the air. The men in the room attempted to take shots at Olivia as she disappeared and reappeared, firing her gun. She took hold of a flag rope, wrapped around one of the legs in her path and tugged, sending him sprawling to the floor.

Olivia took a shot that ended right between his eyes. Another man attempted to grab her, but she vanished once again and he swung his fists aimlessly in an effort to strike at her.

"Looking for me?" Olivia hissed, gleefully.

He whirled, but Olivia had grabbed his gun, elbowed him in the face and dropped him to the floor.

Meanwhile, Natalie was humming and skipping through the warehouse as her turrets made their way inside. She was holding her taser staff and watched a guard attempt to flee. Grinning, she held the staff in both hands, drew back before tossing it directly toward him. It spun end over end before cracking him in the back of his head.

He fell forward with a wet groan and was still. Natalie walked up, retrieved her staff and looked around. Reaching into her pocket, she removed a tiny, mechanical crab. She wound it up, set it onto the floor and it skittered away with a synthetic giggle. Natalie grinned broadly, waving at the little machine.

"Nat! Hey!" Olivia called, from the walkway above her.

Natalie glanced up at her and smiled. "Oh! How'd it go upstairs?"

Olivia shrugged her shoulders, waving a hand in the air. "Oh, you know how it goes; they tried to trap me in the room." she explained, with a bored drawl. "Didn't end well for them."

A chuckle from Natalie. She reached up with one hand and her mechanical crab crawled its way into her hand. She gave it a little scratch and smiled.

"He's already downloaded the location of the artifacts that Akande wanted," she said. "We should head back with our report."

"The monocle was a nice touch, you know," Olivia told her, gesturing to her own eye.

Natalie made a face before she couldn't help her snicker. "Really? You don't think it's too much?"

"Nah. You look great."

The two women made their way back to the ship and Olivia looked at Natalie with a smile. "Hey, I got this new lipstick." she told her, gesturing to her lips with one finger. "_Se ve bien_, huh?"

Natalie smiled, leaning closer to look. "Yes, it's a good color on you."

Olivia chuckled and cupped her cheeks, giving her a kiss that drew a surprised sound from Natalie's throat. She eventually melted into it and returned the touch with two hands on her face as well. It was a deep, passionate kiss that stole the breath from Natalie's lungs.

When Olivia parted, she smirked at the flushed look on Natalie's face and the lipstick on her lips. She rubbed her thumb across it, leaving a little smear for her to admire.

"Mmm, I was wrong," she said, "It looks a lot better on you."

Natalie giggled and her eyes darted to the side.

There was still a bit of caution in their interactions lately; Olivia knew that Natalie was gradually remembering what it was like to kiss her, touch her and talk to her. But gradually, Natalie was opening up more once again and she even seemed more confident in herself, despite her appearance.

"Akande will be happy," Natalie said, with a smile. "And that was fun!"

She grinned, delighted. Olivia crowed with laughter and they talked about the mission and the various ways they had handled the guards the entire trip back.

O

Olivia sat, cross-legged at her desk while she scrolled through streams of data that afternoon. She occasionally looked toward the screen near her and found a few interesting little facts that she brushed aside with a wave of her hand and chuckle.

A fleeting look toward Arturito sitting at her bed, near a magazine she'd been reading. Olivia began to think about Natalie having made that for her. She had put in a lot of effort to do things for her that others wouldn't have done.

And then her mind went to Natalie's proclaimation of love.

Olivia's brow furrowed and she brought up security feed from several months ago. She scrolled through it, bored with most of what she'd seen, but paused when she noticed one of Natalie in her workshop with someone; one of her staff members, no doubt.

The other woman was talking and Natalie was working, seemingly unfocused on what was being said.

Olivia accessed the audio files with a quick wave of her hand and leaned back to listen.

"..._and I had it set and ready for soldering_..." Natalie was finishing a conversation, it seemed. "_Eve? Are you listening to me_?"

The woman was Eve. Olivia murmured thoughtfully when she remembered that Natalie had been trapped with her beneath the rubble of the facility in King's Row.

"_Oh! I'm sorry, Natalie_." Eve said, with a small laugh. "_I was looking at photos of puppies on my phone_."

Natalie leaned over to look and smiled. "_Aww, they are cute. But work is important. If you're going to be my apprentice, you need to pay attention to what I'm doing_."

Olivia was surprised. Natalie was going to take on an apprentice? That was new.

Eve looked over at a row of miniatures that lined Natalie's computer desk. She chuckled and picked one up, studying it in her hand.

"_Sombra get these all for you_?" she asked.

Natalie looked up before she smiled. "_Mmhm,, all of them. Aren't they sweet_?"

"_They are. But I'm wondering something. Why her? I mean, Dante was such a sweetheart_."

Natalie sighed, wandered the table and didn't answer at first. Olivia certainly wanted to know the reason behind Natalie's choice.

"_He was always worried what others thought_," she finally said. "_But with Sombra? I don't know. She makes me feel good about myself. And she's funny, too. I can always laugh with her_. _I've always wanted to have someone like that_."

Olivia shifted where she sat, chuckling a little and leaning on her hand. The comment was nice and it made heat fill her chest.

"_So_..." Eve began, with a small smile. "_Are you saying you love her_?"

A small pause. "_I do_."

Olivia's smile disappeared somewhat. It wasn't like she was unhappy with the confession; it was true, then how Natalie felt about her. But it also meant that she was left vulnerable, that anything could happen again and she would lose Natalie. Nothing was certain in her life.

"_Have you told her_?" Eve asked, "_She hasn't even told you her real name_."

Olivia snapped back to reality and watched Natalie's face on the security feed. She seemed to be thinking of something for a long time.

"_I know she'll trust me when she's ready to_." Natalie replied. "_And when she is, I want to tell her_."

Olivia was silent, stunned by her confession.

"_Oh! Could you pass that to me, please_?" Natalie returned to her work focus in the feed.

Olivia cut the feed off and sat there in silence. She didn't know for how long.

O

Natalie was humming and dancing to her music in her workshop.

Olivia made her way inside and paused, hesitating. Then, she looked up, chuckling at the sight of her dancing. Natalie paused when she caught the other woman watching, blushed a little and cleared her throat. Olivia walked up to her, lightly touched her arm and smiled carefully. Natalie returned the careful smile.

"So, Akande was happy with the results of the mission," Natalie sought to clear the discomfort in the air.

Olivia nodded her head and she looked down when she heard a song come on. "And I Love You So" by Elvis Presley. Natalie was beginning to dance with it again, her steps slow and graceful. Olivia rolled her eyes with amusement before Natalie gestured for her to join her.

Olivia shrugged, but walked up and took Natalie's hand. They leaned against one another and slowly danced to the music. Olivia drew comfort from the warmth of Natalie's body and she looked at their hands, flesh and metal and for a moment, she thought about how the woman had nearly lost her life.

"Do you think about the future?" Natalie asked.

Olivia made a thoughtful sound. "It doesn't make sense to think about that in this line of work." she replied. "I take every day at a time."

"That makes sense, I suppose."

She closed her eyes, sighed softly. Olivia opened her eyes, thought about something before she smiled.

"Hey, Nat?"

"Yes?"

"There's something I want to tell you. I never tell anyone this," Olivia told her, "But I think you're the exception. So I hope you appreciate that."

"Oh?" Natalie sounded puzzled. "What is it?"

A chuckle from Olivia. "Heh, _relájate_. It's nothing serious, but it will be if you tell anyone."

She leaned up, whispering in Natalie's ear. The other woman listened for a few seconds before she smiled and leaned her head back against Olivia's.

"That's a nice name." she replied. "I like it... Olivia."

"Thanks."

The two women continued to dance, leaning against one another and content to stay that way.

The Hacker and the Toymaker.


End file.
